Stronger With You: Intensely, Absolutely or Sandalwood?

Stronger With You is one of Giorgio Armani's best-known men's lines, and one that comes up again and again when someone wants a warm, sweet men's scent for the colder months. What they share is that they're pleasant, “soft” and easy to wear: nobody will frown when you step into the lift. The difference is what sits at the centre: in one it's a sweet treat, in another a drink, in the third it's wood.

Intensely: toffee, cinnamon and vanilla

Stronger With You Intensely is the sweetest and most popular of the three. It opens with pink pepper and cinnamon, which warm it up straight away, then toffee, that thick caramel, steps forward with vanilla and tonka underneath. It smells like a café in December: warm, cosy, a little seductive. It works best in the evening and in the cold, which is why it's a go-to for nights out and dates.

Absolutely: rum and roasted chestnut

Stronger With You Absolutely is the darker brother. Instead of a sweet treat, rum sits at its centre, with bergamot and lavender freshening it up at the start. Then roasted chestnut and vanilla appear, and the scent recalls a winter market: chestnuts on the grill and a warm drink in your hand. It's less sugary than Intensely, more grown-up, with more character.

Sandalwood: creamy wood

Stronger With You Sandalwood is the calmest and most refined. Saffron and lavender up top, then chestnut, and then the thing it's named for: creamy sandalwood with vanilla and cedar. There's sweetness, but it stays in the background; what you notice first is smooth, warm wood. If Intensely is too sweet for you and Absolutely too “boozy”, Sandalwood is the happy middle you can also wear to work.

Intensely is dessert, Absolutely is the after-dinner drink, and Sandalwood is the leather armchair by the fire.

Which one to get

You love sweet and want a scent for nights out: Intensely. You like darker, “bar” scents with a hint of smoke and spirits: Absolutely. You want something warm but polished that works with a suit as well as a jumper: Sandalwood.

Because they come from the same family, the differences show best when you try them side by side. Get all three as 5 ml decants: that's exactly a set of three, so the site automatically takes 10% off. Wear each for a couple of days and see which one you keep reaching for. If you like this style, take a look at our pick of scents for cold days too.