By the time there’s a chill in the air, you should be picking out your fragrance for the next season — but do you know what the best winter cologne for men is? If you don’t have your cold weather cologne picked out, fear not: We’ll show you the way.
In this guide, we’ll be covering the best of the best winter colognes for men. By the end of the article, you’ll have learned all about our top five choices for winter colognes, complete with exhaustive details on their aromatic compositions. We hope you’ll go away with the right cologne to add to your collection, no matter your style or budget.
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5 Best Winter Cologne For Men In 2022
Winter is a wonderful time to break out the most intense and long lasting fragrances available — leave your fresh greens and citrus notes at the door. With that in mind, we’ve narrowed our choices for the best winter colognes down to the following five bottlings.
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille (Our Top Pick)
We’re a big fan of fashion designer Tom Ford’s colognes and perfumes — so much so, in fact, that we’d recommend checking out our guide to the best Tom Ford colognes for men once you’re finished here. As far as winter colognes go, you’ll be hard pressed to find any better than Tobacco Vanille, an oriental spicy unisex style fragrance that’s been popular since its debut in 2007.
You’ll get notes of tobacco right off the bat in this fragrance, with fresh tobacco leaf being complemented nicely by an array of baking spices. This tobacco continues in the heart notes, where tobacco blossom is joined by rich notes of vanilla, cacao, and tonka bean. Anchored by a strong and ever-present base of dried fruits and wood resins, it’s an ideal winter cologne.
With its near-eternal longevity and huge intensity and dispersion, Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille is a formidable fragrance. Wear it all winter long, and maybe even consider wearing it for date nights during the spring and fall.
Notes:
- Top notes of tobacco leaf and baking spices
- Middle notes of vanilla, cacao, tonka bean, and tobacco blossom
- Base notes of dried fruits and wood resins
Best For:
- Wearing all through the holiday season
- Nighttime wear in particular
Parfums De Marly Carlisle
Parfums de Marly is one of our favorite additions to the niche cologne market, thanks to their elegant additions to classic styles. In the case of Carlise, a floral fruity cologne that debuted in 2015, you’ll find an uncommon seasonal affinity with winter because of its heavy doses of vanilla and spice.
Juicy and crisp green apple is paired with spicy and sweet, freshly grated nutmeg in Carlisle’s top notes, which color the entire composition. From here, you’ll find rich and enticing heart notes of tonka beans and roses, while the rest of the cologne is built on a base equally redolent of patchouli and vanilla.
Featuring incredible longevity and an enormous intensity, Carlisle seems ideally suited to being saved as a special occasion and date night cologne. Interestingly, it’s also fresh enough to wear as winter thaws and spring begins to blossom. This is one worth taking the extra second to apply correctly for maximum effect.
Notes:
- Top notes of green apple and nutmeg
- Middle notes of tonka bean and rose
- Base notes of patchouli and vanilla
Best For:
- Special occasions and date nights
- Wearing as winter transitions to spring
Victor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme
There’s nothing subtle about Victor & Rolf’s Spicebomb Extreme — a hugely dense and intense concoction that’s every bit as powerful as its hand grenade bottle would indicate. An oriental spicy style cologne, it was released in 2015 as a more intense version of the original Spicebomb.
There’s just one top note in Spicebomb Extreme — lavender — but it’s so intense that the fragrance doesn’t need anything else. This leads to equally intense heart notes of cracked black pepper and savory caraway, while a voluptuous base of tobacco and vanilla gives a great foundation for every other spicy and exotic aromatic to really shine through.
Exceptionally intense and quite long lasting, Spicebomb Extreme is a dedicated fall and winter cologne. It really needs cold, dark, and wet weather to show off its best sides, and is a wonderful cologne to wear throughout the holiday season.
Notes:
- Top notes of lavender
- Middle notes of black pepper and caraway
- Base notes of tobacco and vanilla
Best For:
- Fall and winter wear
- Nighttime wear
Thierry Mugler Pure Malt
Thierry Mugler’s A*Men became an instant classic after its release in 1996, but it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that Mugler began producing variations of it. One of our favorite, A*Men Pure Malt, was released in 2009 as an oriental woody style cologne inspired by a fine Scotch whisky.
A mix of fruity notes sets the initial tone for Pure Malt, with orange and bergamot shining as the major top notes. This transitions nicely into the heart notes, richly filled with Scotch whisky and malted grains, accented by patchouli, coffee, and cedar. All of this sits nicely atop a base of peat, vanilla, amber, and musk to create a complex and interwoven fragrance.
A long lasting cologne with an approachable intensity, Thierry Mugler Pure Malt is the cologne from this list we’d be most likely to wear all year long. It’s fantastic for date nights, but quite honestly we’d be happy to wear it any time of day.
Notes:
- Top notes of mixed fruits, orange, and bergamot
- Middle notes of malt, Scotch whisky, patchouli, coffee, and cedar
- Base notes of peat, vanilla, amber, and musk
Best For:
- Date nights
- Anytime wear
Emporio Armani Stronger With You
Breaking out from the immensely popular Acqua Di Gio, Emporio Armani Stronger With You is made in the more classic aromatic fougere style. Paired with a feminine scent, “Because It’s You”, it was released in 2017 and has steadily been gaining popularity among lovers of contemporary fragrances.
Spicy cardamom and pink peppercorns are juxtaposed with fresh mint and violet in Stronger With You’s top notes, which provide a fresh and zesty accent to the richer heart notes. Pineapple and melon are the stars of the show here, with small portions of lavender, sage, and cinnamon playing a supporting role. In the uncommon base, you’ll find chestnut in a primary position alongside smaller portions of vanilla, cedar, and precious woods.
Strong and long lasting, Emporio Armani Stronger With You is a great wintertime scent for any guy. We’re quite fond of its feminine counterpart as well, and would recommend getting a bottle to share with your significant other.
Notes:
- Top notes of cardamom, pink peppercorns, mint, and violet
- Middle notes of pineapple, sage, melon, cinnamon, and lavender
- Base notes of vanilla, chestnut, cedar, amberwood, and guaiac wood
Best For:
- Men looking for a modern scent
- Pairing with its feminine scent on your significant other
What Is The Best Winter Cologne?
In our opinion, it’s quite difficult to beat the rich, complex, and long lasting aromatics of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille when you’re looking for a winter cologne. If you’re looking for just one cologne to add to your collection to wear when the weather gets colder, Tobacco Vanille is definitely the way to go.
We’ll take a moment to point out an alternative that some men find quite appealing, though: Victor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme. It’s a hugely intense cologne that’s almost too powerful to wear in any other season, making it a natural choice for anyone that loves big and effusive fragrances.
Is Sauvage A Winter Fragrance?
For all that Christian Dior’s Sauvage is — a veritable legend of modern day fragrance making — it’s actually not quite a wintertime cologne. Made in the aromatic fougere style, it’s a wonderfully complex scent but not quite dense or rich enough to show its best qualities in the colder months of the year. For one of the best Dior colognes for winter wear, we would be more inclined to choose Dior Fahrenheit
Brian Adee
Brian has been fascinated with fragrances since his 8th birthday, when his Dad gifted him a bottle of Acqua di Gio. Since then, he has become a men's grooming & style aficionado who teaches men how to look sharp. Backed by personal experience, Brian's articles are known for his no-holds-barred style where he holds nothing back. You will get his real opinions on the latest men's grooming products and best practices where he reveals the best (and worst) style advice every man should know.
