Triumph of Bacchus or Extrait? What you smell – and when to wear which
A glass of dark rum, a bowl of ripe peaches, a cigar somewhere in the room. That is roughly what an evening smells like when Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, has written the guest list. Triumph of Bacchus by Argos captures exactly that mood. Since 2023 it has also been available as Triumph of Bacchus Extrait. Same guests, same wine – but a very different party. We tell you what you smell in each version, how the two feel on the skin and which Bacchus suits which moment in your life.
- What does Triumph of Bacchus smell like? Boozy, fruity and warm: rum, white peach, green apple and saffron in the opening, with tobacco, vanilla, amber and sandalwood underneath. A unisex fragrance by Argos founder Christian Petrovich from 2019.
- How does the Extrait feel different? Same notes, different texture: rum and peach feel richer and rounder, the green, spicy tobacco comes through more clearly and the drydown turns creamier. The Eau de Parfum is the party in the ballroom, the Extrait the conversation by the fire afterwards.
- Which one when? Eau de Parfum for après-ski, bars and parties where you are allowed to fill the room. Extrait for dinner for two, long wedding days and cold evenings when the scent should still be there the next morning.
- Who is it for? Anyone who loves sweet, boozy fragrances with tobacco – women and men alike. Not for hot days, and not for those who like it quiet and fresh.
Why this pair?
Triumph of Bacchus is the fragrance through which many people first discover Argos. On Fragrantica more than 2,150 people have rated it and over 430 have written a detailed review – a remarkable number for a young niche house from Texas. The Extrait naturally has fewer votes, yet its rating is even slightly higher.
What makes the pair exciting is that Argos did not rebuild the note pyramid. So if you wear both side by side, you are not smelling two different ideas but the same story told in two different keys. And that is exactly where it gets interesting.
What you smell
Triumph of Bacchus: the party in the ballroom
The first spray is loud and cheerful. Green apple and rum crackle like a baked apple with a splash of spirits, white peach makes it all juicy and saffron lays a warm, slightly leathery sheen on top. The Eau de Parfum has something radiant, almost theatrical about it – it enters the room before you do. A few reviewers find the opening a little sharp or "medicinal"; most love precisely this moment.
Then it turns darker and sweeter: jasmine, patchouli and tonka bean, with tobacco wrapping itself around the fruit like a scarf. What remains at the end is a warm cloud of vanilla, amber and sandalwood.
Triumph of Bacchus Extrait: the conversation by the fire
The Extrait plays the same notes, but with the lights dimmed. Argos describes it like this: the boozy, fruity top notes become richer and the green, spicy edge of the tobacco becomes more pronounced. In practice that means less crackle, more velvet. The rum feels less like a shot and more like an old, dark rum in a heavy glass. The peach is riper, the texture denser, almost creamy. Several Fragrantica reviewers praise the smoother drydown and say the "medicinal" touch in the opening is less noticeable.
And then there is the longevity. Argos itself writes that the sillage remains "elegant and controlled" while the lasting power is significantly amplified. Reviewers report that it lasts until the next morning. So the Extrait is not the louder sibling but the one with more stamina.
The Romans equated Bacchus with their old wine god Liber Pater – literally the "free father". Argos's own brand text also calls Bacchus "the liberator", because wine, music and dance were meant to free people from social constraints.
Time travel on the skin
What does Triumph of Bacchus smell like after an hour? And what is left of the Extrait after four hours? This is how Argos and the Fragrantica community describe the development of both versions:
Triumph of Bacchus (Eau de Parfum)
- The first minutesSparkling rum and green apple, juicy peach, warm saffron. Bright, loud, festive – for some with a slightly sharp edge.
- After 1 hourThe fruit softens; tobacco, jasmine and patchouli move to the front. Sweet, warm and with a noticeable scent trail.
- After 4 hoursTobacco and vanilla take over, carried by amber and sandalwood. Less party, more warmth, still clearly perceptible.
- In the evening / on your scarf the next morningA soft trace of vanilla, amber and musk. On wool, base notes like these typically last much longer than on skin.
Triumph of Bacchus Extrait (Extrait de Parfum)
- The first minutesDark, round rum and ripe peach, with the apple only as a highlight. Rich and velvety rather than sparkling.
- After 1 hourThe green, spicy tobacco becomes clearer; jasmine and patchouli make the texture almost plush. Dense, but close to the body.
- After 4 hoursCreamy Mysore sandalwood, vanilla and tobacco. According to Argos the sillage stays controlled – anyone who hugs you will notice it clearly.
- In the evening / on your scarf the next morningReviewers report that the scent lasts until the next morning. Argos even says it can linger "for days".
The note pyramids compared
According to Fragrantica, the notes of both versions are identical. What differs is the balance. Different marks what shifts in the Extrait.
| Triumph of Bacchus (2019) | Triumph of Bacchus Extrait (2023) | |
|---|---|---|
| Top notes | Rum, white peach, green apple, saffron | Rum, white peach, green apple, saffron – richer, rounder |
| Heart notes | Tonka bean, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine | Tonka bean, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine |
| Base notes | Tobacco, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, musk | Tobacco, vanilla, Mysore sandalwood, amber, musk – more tobacco |
| Family (Fragrantica) | Oriental spicy | Oriental woody |
| Perfumer | Christian Petrovich | Christian Petrovich |
| Feel on the skin | Radiant, fruity, sociable | Velvety, creamy, skin-close and long-lasting |
What do you get for your money?
With the Eau de Parfum you pay for radiance, with the Extrait for depth and stamina – and for the more elaborate bottle. Argos describes it as hand-polished, frosted crystal glass with a solid metal plaque on which Bacchus sits in enamelled 3D artwork among vines and grapes, topped by a solid metal cap encrusted with crystals.
| Triumph of Bacchus | Triumph of Bacchus Extrait | |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | € 245 | € 355 |
| Effect | More radiance, more open | More longevity, denser, closer to the skin |
| Typical occasion | Party, bar, après-ski | Dinner, wedding, fireside evening |
Prices according to the 4D OUTFITTERS web shop, as of 14 October 2026. The prices shown are updated automatically from the shop.
What does the community say?
Both versions score very well on Fragrantica. As of 14 October 2026.
Triumph of Bacchus Extrait
Fragrantica · 125 votes
4.66 / 5
Main accords according to Fragrantica
- Vanilla
- Sweet
- Fruity
- Tobacco
- Warm spicy
- Rum
Triumph of Bacchus (Eau de Parfum)
Fragrantica · 2,156 votes
4.38 / 5
Main accords according to Fragrantica
- Vanilla
- Sweet
- Fruity
- Tobacco
- Warm spicy
- Woody
What people praise: the boozy, fruity opening, the tobacco-vanilla drydown, its uniqueness, the strong performance and the bottle. For the Extrait, reviewers highlight above all the longevity and the smoother drydown. What people criticise: some find the opening too sharp or "medicinal", others find the scent too sweet and too heavy for everyday wear or warm days. Some compare it with other tobacco-rum fragrances, and with the Extrait a few wonder whether the extra cost over the Eau de Parfum is necessary. Our advice: wear each one for a whole day on your skin, not just on a paper strip.
Sources: Fragrantica Triumph of Bacchus Extrait · Fragrantica Triumph of Bacchus · Argos on the Extrait
Your moment: which Bacchus when?
Après-ski at the mountain hut
Eau de ParfumCold air swallows scent. The radiant Eau de Parfum with rum and apple cuts through – and goes perfectly with the Jagertee on the table.
First date, dinner for two
ExtraitSkin-close, velvety, only for the person opposite you. Whoever hugs you goodbye takes it home with them.
Wedding guest
ExtraitFrom the champagne reception to the midnight buffet without a top-up in the bathroom. And it does not drown out the bridal bouquet.
Late cocktail bar
Eau de ParfumDim lights, dark spirits, music: this is where Bacchus may be loud. Two sprays are enough for the whole evening.
Fireside evening and Christmas Eve
ExtraitCreamy vanilla, tobacco and sandalwood next to candles and the scent of fir. And the next morning your wool jumper still smells of the evening.
Monday at the office
Eau de Parfum, sparinglyHonestly, neither is an office scent. If you must: a single spray of Eau de Parfum under your shirt. And on a summer terrace at 30 degrees, better leave Bacchus at home.
The story of Argos
Dallas, Texas. Behind Argos is Christian Petrovich, according to the brand an American-born model, actor and real estate developer of Italian and Russian descent. For over two decades he walked runways in New York, Milan, Paris, Dallas and Miami – and appeared on the covers of romance novels on the side. He taught himself perfumery. In 2014 he founded Argos, initially creating bespoke fragrances for private clients. According to Argos, his first client was a Greek shipping businessman, for whom he drew on his knowledge of Greek mythology. In 2018 the brand went public.
Since then every Argos fragrance retells an ancient legend: from Danae and Fall of Phaeton to Midas Touch. According to Argos, the fragrances are blended and macerated in a lab in Nice and produced in the brand's private lab in Grasse. If you like it even darker, try Charon's Vail or Fire & Desire: Vulcan's Revenge.
Curiosities around Bacchus
From a party ban to a peacock's tail
- The Bacchus ban is kept in Vienna
In 186 BC the Roman Senate largely banned the Bacchanalia, the wild festivals in honour of Bacchus. A bronze tablet bearing the decree was found in 1640 in Tiriolo, Calabria – and is now kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. A piece of Bacchus history, right here in Austria.
- Velázquez and "the drunks"
The fragrance shares its title with a famous painting: Diego Velázquez painted "The Triumph of Bacchus" in 1628–29 for King Philip IV and was paid 100 ducats for it. Because the wine god celebrates with ordinary drinkers, the picture is still known as "Los Borrachos" – the drunks. It hangs in the Prado in Madrid.
- A Medici party song
Around 1490 Lorenzo de' Medici wrote the "Trionfo di Bacco e Arianna" for the Florentine carnival. Its famous first line, "Quant'è bella giovinezza" – how beautiful is youth, which flees away – is carpe diem in rhyme. Whoever wants to be happy, let them be: tomorrow is uncertain.
- A hundred eyes in a peacock's tail
In Greek mythology Argus Panoptes, the "all-seeing", is a giant with a hundred eyes. Legend has it that after his death Hera set his eyes into the peacock's tail.
- Red or yellow?
On Fragrantica, fans debate why older batches of Triumph of Bacchus look dark red and newer ones pale yellow. Some think it has become weaker, others see only a change in colour. We have not found an official explanation.
- 40% perfume oil. Argos states an oil concentration of 40% for the Extrait. For comparison: an Eau de Parfum is typically around 15–20%, an Extrait 20–40%. Argos does not give a figure for the Eau de Parfum.
- More oil does not mean a bigger cloud. Less alcohol means less "lift" off the skin. That is why extraits often sit closer to the skin but last longer.
- Peach from the lab. Peach cannot be distilled from the fruit. The velvety effect comes from lactones such as gamma-undecalactone, misleadingly called "aldehyde C-14" in the industry.
- Rum is an accord. The boozy note is usually built from molecules reminiscent of dark sugar, oak barrels and alcohol – not from real rum.
- Mysore sandalwood comes from the region around Mysore in southern India and is considered the benchmark for creamy, milky sandalwood.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Triumph of Bacchus and Triumph of Bacchus Extrait?
The notes are the same. The Extrait feels richer and creamier, rum and peach rounder, the tobacco more present. It lasts longer and sits closer to the skin, while the Eau de Parfum feels brighter and more radiant.
What does Triumph of Bacchus smell like after a few hours?
After about four hours, tobacco and vanilla dominate with amber and sandalwood. In the Extrait this phase feels creamier, and reviewers report that it lasts until the next morning.
Is the Extrait louder than the Eau de Parfum?
Not necessarily. Argos describes the Extrait's sillage as elegant and controlled and its longevity as significantly amplified. The Eau de Parfum often feels more sociable, the Extrait deeper.
Is Triumph of Bacchus a men's or women's fragrance?
Both versions are unisex and are worn by women and men alike.
When is the best time to wear Triumph of Bacchus?
In the evening, at celebrations and in the cooler months. The Eau de Parfum for social occasions, the Extrait for dinners, long celebrations and winter evenings. Both are too sweet and heavy for hot summer days.
Can I try both versions first?
Yes. With every fragrance order at 4D OUTFITTERS you receive a sample of the fragrance you ordered, and via the order note in the cart you can choose up to four more free samples. Or test both in our boutique in Bregenz.
Smell first, then fall in love
With every fragrance order you receive a sample of the fragrance you ordered – so you can test it before opening the bottle. Via the order note in the cart you can also request up to four more free samples, for example the other Triumph of Bacchus for a direct comparison. We ship free of charge from € 200, and with every purchase you collect stars in the 4D Insider Club.
We like smelling together even more: visit our boutique in Bregenz and try Triumph of Bacchus and Triumph of Bacchus Extrait side by side. You will find more warm favourites in our guide to the best gourmand perfumes for autumn and winter, another fragrance comparison in our article Althaïr vs. Althaïr Exclusif and all of the brand's fragrances in the Argos collection.
Your 4D OUTFITTERS team, Bregenz
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