Sir Irisch Moos by Sir (1969) is an odd thing that will likely have more familiarity to those living in or around Germany than anywhere else in the world.
Created originally by the German shaving supplier Sir (which takes its name from the middle letters of "rasieren" meaning "shaving"), Sir Irisch Moos is the only remaining product from the brand, and might as well be the brand itself now, as that's how owners Mäurer & Wirtz market it.
Primarily an aftershave, Sir Irisch Moos is aclassic green aromatic fougère, an early example of the darker, bolder type first seen upon the arrival of the seminalBritish Sterling by Speidel-Textron (1965).
Like how British Sterling was claimed to have real UK heritage yet was never initially sold to them, Sir Irisch Moos was not made in Ireland nor sold to the Irish initially, instead banking on a cultural stereotype. What's funny about this is the smell of Sir Irish Moos is basically a missing link between the darkerBritish Sterling and the soaperPaco Rabanne pour Homme (1973) that would come later, almost as if it was an answer to the former and source of inspiration to the latter.
Ignoring all this, Sir Irisch Moos is a very bold, masculine, satisfying wet shavers delight that can be worn just as fragrance alone, much likeMennen Skin Bracer(1931) orWilliam's Aqua Velva Ice Blue(1935).
The opening of Sir Irisch Moos is as those familiar with this scent profile might guess:fresh and soapy.Bergamot, lemon, coriander, rosemary, and asoapy aromatic clean dimetol note that would later be paired with dihydromyrcenol in Paco Rabanne pour Homme, but here just stands with the usual white floral woody characteristics into the heart oflavender, geranium, muguet, and galbanum.
The fougère heart is supported bypatchouli, cedar, clove, oakmoss, andtonka in the base, and is expectantly dry. As a midway point between the even darker and leatherierBritish Sterling, and the aforementioned Paco Rabanne, I can't help but catch fleeting glimpses of the laterPascal Morabito Or Black(1982) when smelling SIr Irisch Moos, especially as the clove and oakmoss converge.
Also make no mistake about potency, as even in aftershave format, this is one knock-you-down fragrance that an overzealous splashing hand can cause you to seek oxygen as you choke in a cloud of big, mean, green, clean.Wear time is about 6 hours, which is really good for an aftershave, and if you find the rare bottle of cologne (or later eau de toilette spray), expect a bit longer.
Best use is after a shave with something like Proraso green shave soap, pretty much any time of year hot or cold. Layered in other Sir Irisch Moos products like bar soap, deodorant, and so forth, you can get quite a potent scent bubble going, just like vintage Avon men's products.
The following year (1970) Germany would see the creation of Irish Spring bar soap, featuring a smell eerily similar to Sir Irisch Moos known internally at Colegate-Palmolive as "Ulster Scent", while the same soap would launch in the US by 1972.
Several other perfume houses like Worth or Roger & Gallet would meanwhile compete with Paco Rabanne pour Homme with similar fougères, while 20 years down the road, Fragrances of Ireland would make a tourist-friendly men's fragrance also loosely based on the Sir Irisch Moos DNA calledPatrick by Fragrances of Ireland(1999), although most of this stuff is sold only abroad or in tourist trap gift shops.
This means after two decades of German chemists declaring Sir Irisch Moos is how Irish men smell, nobody inside the country wears this aftershave, nor has even heard ofIrish Spring Soap, and is barely aware of the Patrick cologne; yet some Irish guys are at least somewhat familiar withPaco Rabanne pour Homme, without any notions of fragrances like this being associated with Ireland by guys abroad, which I find particularly hilarious.
Being as this stuff was always meant to be sold cheaply at a drugstore, I'm not sure if digging up deep vintage will make much difference beyond oakmoss quotient, especially if you live outside Germany and need to shop online for it. Thumbs up
