Creed Silver Mountain Water Decant

Silver Mountain Water is Creed's answer to the question of what water actually smells like, and the answer turns out to be cold green tea with a faint metallic edge. Bergamot and mandarin open it, but the signature is the tea-and-blackcurrant heart, which reads slightly tart and slightly mineral at the same time. People consistently describe it as smelling like a glacier stream, which is unusually accurate marketing.

It is the shortest-lived of the major Creeds, giving four to six hours, and that is the trade-off for how clean it smells. The musk and sandalwood base is understated by design. This is a fragrance for hot weather, gyms, flights and anywhere heavy sillage would be a liability.

Because performance is modest, Silver Mountain Water is one of the strongest arguments for buying a decant rather than a bottle. A 10 ml atomizer in a bag lets you reapply at midday, which is exactly how this fragrance wants to be worn.