Duke Cannon Colognes
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Reviewing All 8 of Duke Cannon's "Proper Colognes" (April 2025 Lineup)

• Written: 24 April 2025 • • Last updated: 24 April 2025 • • •

Click here to skip the intro and disclaimer.

I discovered Duke Cannon sometime in 2021. I forget exactly how, but I probably saw an ad for their soaps, and got intrigued by the unique, rugged marketing (this was before I knew about adblockers)—not to mention the insane deal that $9 for 10 oz of soap was. Ever since I got my first shipment, I'd been a loyal customer...until recently.

Sometime in 2019 or 2020, Duke Cannon's original owners sold their company to MPP DC Acquisition, LLC, and this new entity has been making some unpopular changes, like discontinuing popular products and scent categories. This was being talked about as early as 2020-21, but they've really started ramping things up (or down, if you prefer) with this new, bizarre corporatewashing of their signature soap bars, fondly called "Big Ass Brick[s] of Soap." Here we have just two examples:

Pretty big downgrade, if you ask me. The scenes on the old boxes caught your eye. They told you, even without having to read, where the scent would transport you. Now, these boring geometric designs are just reminiscent of...the drugstore. I guess that's what happens when you break into the Target and Walmart markets, but I really question how successful of a change this will be for Duke Cannon in the long-run. I predict the next changes will be:

In theory, the rebrand is just a change in appearance, but some customers have also been noting that the formulae (and thus, scent) of the products have actually changed, too, and usually for the worse.

Anyway.

I mostly whipped up that intro so I could give the disclaimer that I no longer endorse Duke Cannon products, and I find their rebrand to be antithetical to the spirit of what made the brand popular. But that's not what this entry is about. So let's dive into the colognes, all of which I bought because I knew the new Duke Cannon guys weren't going to let the good ones stick around forever.

Now, for the Cologne Review...

So in light of all the bad news, one good thing was that this April, Duke Cannon offered a "Spring Garage Sale," where a lot of items, including the old stock items, went on sale up to 50% off. As stated in the intro, I first got into Duke Cannon by way of their soaps (my very first order was Naval Diplomacy, Productivity, Accomplishment, Victory, Leaf and Leather, Fresh Cut Pine, and Campfire), but their other products intrigued me, too. As a woman, I obviously don't have a beard, and I prefer other brands of shampoo and conditioner. But I've never been one for womens' perfumes, and that's where Duke Cannon's colognes entered the ring.

Part of my decision to buy all 8 colognes stemmed from the fact that, well, they were on sale, and also, based on the track record of Duke Cannon's new owners, I couldn't guarantee how long some of them would be around. I ended up buying the Big Sniff bundle (6 colognes), plus Prescott and Seneca (which are both being discontinued...sad).

This review is broken down into the following sections:

  1. An Overview of the Colognes

  2. Individual Breakdown

  3. Duke Cannon Smellalikes?

  4. Discontinued Fragrances

  5. Solid Colognes

An Overview of the Colognes

Here, I've laid out all 8 colognes from my haul. The two halves of the outer box are made of a pretty firm cardstock, with the top half engulfing the bottom entirely. The color of the top's background and the solid color of the bottom is the same.

I found that the custom fonts for each fragrance added a little character, but it does beg the question of what one does once you run out of identifiably unique fonts...

The actual cologne is protected by another insert, this one made of cardboard, to give the box form and to protect it during storage and shipping. The colors are still coordinated, but as this part only serves a structural purpose, the color is less intense and not a perfect match.

Finally, the actual colognes come in opaque apothecary bottles. The bottles are all the same; the only difference is the label, and obviously, the contents. The opacity of the bottle does add to the polished look of the product, but I could imagine that a secondary effect is protection from UV radiation should the bottles be stored in direct sunlight (which they shouldn't be, but not everyone knows that).

Usually, each of these bottles retails for $25 each. I got the "Big Sniff" 6-pack, which went for $99 instead of $150, meaning that each bottle in the set was sold for $16.50. Due to being discontinued, Seneca and Prescott were not included in the set, but were still discounted, at $17 each. The total cost before taxes was $133, and Duke Cannon offers free shipping for orders over $50, so after taxes, my total was $145.16.

Individual Breakdown

Here are the cologne names, a picture of the bottle, their advertised scents, their descriptions, my assessment of their scents, and a humorous "more accurate" scent profile. The list in this table is given in the order shown in my photos. And final note that I'm not some seasoned fragrance connoisseur, so if my descriptions seem crude and amateurish, well...they are.

Cologne Picture Scent Description Assessment More Accurate Scent
Seneca Bergamot + Neroli "Seneca smells like drifting down a scenic river after a light rainfall, with a fresh blend of bergamot and neroli." Starts out sharp and limey. Spicy, green, almost soapy smell like the now-discontinued "Victory" scent. Smells like fresh greens and soap suds. The ones after a hard workout, not a light hand-washing.
Prescott Birchwood + Tonka "Prescott smells like catching the sunrise before an early morning scenic hike, with a rich blend of birchwood and tonka." Starts out sharp and lemony with a bit of fresh cut grass. Cools down into a warm, creamy/citrusy vanilla. Smells like a root beer float topped with lemon zest and lawnmower shavings. The kind you want seconds to eat, not to run away from.
Seawolf Driftwood + Coastal Air N/A Starts out a bit generically "ocean," but with a heavier, more elegant subtlety than Huron. Basically what Huron could’ve (and should’ve) been. Becomes more limey with time. Smells like a lime mojito fresh off the counter, not lukewarm lemonade off a rickety stand.
Midway Citrus + Cedarwood "Midway smells like a cool breeze blowing through palm trees in the Pacific, with a fresh blend of citrus and sandalwood." Starts out very sharply fruity and floral, then gives way to sweeter notes and coconut that remind me of tropical gum or an energy drink. An interesting scent, but not one I’d want to make my signature. Smells like lemon lime Gatorade and tropical fruit gum. Perfect for a post-workout cooldown, not an ADHD-ridden gamer.
Huron Fresh Water + Neroli "Huron is smells like navigating the open waters of a great lake, with a crisp blend of fresh water and neroli." Starts out artificial and generic "ocean" smelling. A little too generic for my taste, similar to the spicy cologne strips you’ll find in magazines. Becomes frutier and more tolerable, but still too much like a Lysol wipe. Smells like Windex and magazine cologne strips. The kind you throw in the garbage, not the kind you scrapbook for safe keeping.
Buck Moon Lime + Vetiver "Buck Moon smells like a remote field in the summer as the sun begins to set, with a rich blend of vetiver and oak moss." Starts out way too sharp, almost bitter. It smells incredibly chemical, like Huron, only it lacks the pleasant sweetness and citrus. Probably my least favorite of this line. Smells like perfume for a not-so-special someone. Perfect for your ex-girlfriend, not your bride-to-be.
Palomino Mahogany + Vanilla N/A Starts out invitingly sweet, spicy, and warm, but as time goes on, I can’t get over how much it smells like Coke Zero, even if the leather begins to poke its head out a little more. Smells like a nice, cold Coke Zero. The stuff bottled in study glass, not from a gas station soda machine.
Sawtooth Alpine Air + Cedarwood "Sawtooth smells like exploring the open skies above densely forested terrain, with a woodsy blend of alpine air and cedarwood." Starts out pungent and keeps its sharpness, though the intensity wears down fast. A little like sweet detergent or citrusy new erasers. Not a fragrance I’d call home about. Smells like citrus wetnaps and baby powder.
The kind you want to put in your nostrils, not just on your hands.

Now the moment we've all been waiting for: my ranking. Yes, all of the fragrances have their strengths and weaknesses. No, this ranking isn't generalizable to everyone. Yes, the size of the gaps in my preferences between fragrances varies. No, I will not be elaborating further.

  1. Prescott

  2. Seneca

  3. Seawolf

  4. Midway

  5. Palomino

  6. Sawtooth

  7. Huron

  8. Buck Moon

My favorites are Prescott and Seneca, depending on what vibe I’m going for (breezy or bold). Sucks they’re getting rid of those. Probably because they’re too good for us plebs. Oh well. I’d say Seawolf and Midway are close seconds, in that order. Seawolf is more elegant, but Midway projects better. Palomino is acceptable, as is Sawtooth. I prefer Palomino a little more, just because Sawtooth is too pointed, and neither fragrance is that great. Huron and Buck Moon are absolute no-gos.

Duke Cannon Smellalikes?

Keep in mind that these fragrances are $25 each. They're good enough for the price, but far from premium. Many of you who are serious about fragrances want something more refined, and that's totally understandable. Others may want something similar-smelling, but with a better bang for their buck. Also understandable.

The information I'm about to share comes from a Reddit comment; it isn't my original work as, like I've said previously, I'm not the expert here. So take this as my endorsement of another's analysis.

Discontinued Fragrances

This isn't technically part of the review, since I have not interacted with any of these fragrances firsthand, but through some digging around the internet, I've become aware of four fragrances (perhaps there are more?) of Proper Cologne that Duke Cannon used to carry, but have since discontinued.

Cologne Picture Scent Description
Grant "Warm Spice + Tonka + Sandalwood" "Grant Proper Cologne is a masculine musk blend of warm spices, brilliant tonka, & classic sandalwood. Smells like retiring to the back porch for cocktails & conversation. Does not smell like the sale rack of a thrift store."
Gunnison "Oceanic + Lavender + Amber Musk" "Gunnison is a modern, light, and bright scent that blends oceanic notes with hints of lavender and amber musk. Smells like enjoying the lush, dynamic crispness of the great outdoors, not the foul, stagnant staleness of the indoors at a DMV."
Lincoln "Lavender + Oakmoss + Mandarin" "Lincoln is a fresh, yet nostalgic, scent that blends notes of leather and oakmoss with a hint of mandarin. Smells like sitting in a well-worn, tufted leather chair at the local barber shop, not a ripped fabric couch in the basement of a fraternity house."
Randolph "Bergamot + Lavender + Leather" "Any given man is capable of mustering up some ungodly smells in a day’s worth of hard work. Unless you’re sporting Duke Cannon’s Randolph Spray Cologne, that is. One spritz of this stuff is all it takes to start smelling like nose-pleasing hints of bergamot, lavender and rich leather. Wear it to work, on a night out, or even spray some on instead of taking a shower. Go ahead, we’re not telling anybody."

I guess you could say the descriptions are another example of the bizarre corporatewashing I mentioned before. As you can see, the taglines (more like tag paragraphs, even) for their colognes used to be far more descriptive and interesting. Now it's just "smells like this" or "smells like that," if anything at all. The most recent fragrances, Palomino and Seawolf, don't even have taglines.

Solid Colognes

Duke Cannon also has a line of solid colognes. I've only tried Midnight Swim, and due to my subpar experiences with it (poor projection, more complicated application process, not long-lasting), I do not intend to review the other solid colognes soon.

Conclusion

Duke Cannon isn't really doing anything unique with their fragrances, nor would I say that the price point for many of these bottles necessarily justifies what's actually inside of them. But if you get a discount pack, $16.50-$17 bottle isn't a bad deal. These are the kinds of colognes I'd tell folks to have on hand for a last-minute get-together, so that they can spare the higher-end fragrances for a real date night in the drawer at home.

Conflicts of Interest

None of the URLs on this page are affiliate links; I do not earn a commission or kickback if you sign up for any services or purchase any goods through them. I'm sharing these resources because I genuinely appreciate them for what they are and what they do.