Kilian Apple B, better known by its original name Apple Brandy New York, launched in 2013 as a boutique exclusive celebrating both the Big Apple and Kilian Hennessy’s cognac heritage. Perfumer Sidonie Lancesseur built it around one idea: an apple liqueur aged in an oak cask. The fragrance was later discontinued, which makes it a collector’s curiosity and exactly the kind of scent where a good clone matters more than usual.
What Does Kilian Apple B Smell Like?
The opening hits hard. Tart apple arrives first, crisp and tangy, and within moments rum and brandy drown it in hard liquor. Plum adds dark fruitiness, sugar rounds everything into something closer to a caramelized apple dessert than fresh fruit, and wearers consistently compare the effect to flambéed crepes or spiked apple compote. This is one of the booziest openings in mainstream niche perfumery, intense enough that people notice the alcohol accord from arm’s length.
After the first hour the composition turns drier and woodier. Oak barrel and smoke push forward while the fruit recedes, and the base of Texas cedar, Chinese cedar, labdanum, vanilla, and ambroxan leaves a semi-sweet woody amber finish. The drydown is noticeably less gourmand than the start, with a dryness from ambroxan that some noses find slightly sharp. Development is linear overall: the same brandied barrel idea from start to finish, just shifting from liquid to wood.
Performance
Longevity is the strong suit here. Community reports cluster between 7 and 12 hours, with detailed wear logs placing full intensity through hour five and a skin scent arriving around hour six. Projection is moderate rather than loud. The first two to three hours create a noticeable bubble at roughly arm’s length, then the scent sits close. For a fall and winter evening scent, that restrained sillage works in its favor, though buyers expecting a room-filling performer should temper expectations.
The catch is availability and price. At its 2013 launch, a 50ml eau de parfum bottle cost 235 dollars, and with production ended, remaining bottles trade through resale channels at unpredictable markups. Paying collector prices for any fragrance is hard to defend, which drags down the value score despite solid performance.
Best Clone Or Alternative
Perfume Parlour sells Sliced Apple - 1044 as an explicit Apple B dupe, priced around 15 dollars for a 10ml roll-on oil. Its stated pyramid mirrors the original’s structure: oak and cedar up top and through the heart, labdanum and vanilla anchoring the base. What it does not fully replicate is the lush apple-rum-plum liquor accord that makes the opening so distinctive. Expect a competent, drier sketch of the same idea rather than a bottle-for-bottle match.
Given that similarity sits around 70 percent, the calculus is unusual. Normally you weigh a 15 dollar clone against a 235 dollar retail original. Here the original is discontinued, so the realistic comparison is a 15 dollar oil versus an inflated resale bottle of unknown storage history. For most people the clone wins on pure practicality. Anyone chasing the exact dense liquor note may also want to sample Apple Brandy on the Rocks, Kilian’s current reformulated successor, which keeps the apple-brandy core but cools it with bergamot, pineapple, and cardamom.
When To Wear It
This is cold weather territory. The boozy sweetness and smoky woods fit fall evenings, winter nights, holiday dinners, and date nights where you want warm and distinctive rather than clean and safe. Office wear is a genuine gamble, because smelling strongly of spirits during working hours invites comments you may not want.
Who Should Buy It
Boozy gourmand fans who own Angel’s Share or Straight to Heaven and want their apple counterpart will understand this immediately. Collectors who missed the original release and want the closest affordable approximation should also shortlist the Perfume Parlour oil.
Who Should Skip It
Anyone sensitive to liquor notes, anyone wanting a versatile daily signature, and anyone unwilling to hunt resale listings should pass. If you dislike sweet fruit mixed with smoke, this will feel like a novelty rather than a wardrobe staple.
Final Verdict
Apple B earns a 7 overall. The scent concept is excellent and the longevity delivers, but linearity, moderate projection, discontinuation, and resale pricing hold it back. Buy the clone first, decide if the idea suits you, then chase the original only if the opening’s rich liquor accord truly hooks you.