The box for Quorum states that the fragrance is made with alcohol of "vegetal origin." Kind of a funny thing to mention, but I guess some people prefer all-organic perfumes.
Anyway, this is yet another masculine aromatic from the early 1980s that has zero presence in the blogosphere, and again I ask - WHY??? What is preventing people from writing about this scent? It's from a reputable house, it's 30 years old, and it's still around for a whopping $15 a bottle. For many, Quorum falls into the unofficial "Powerhouse" category, i.e. it's a fragrance with tremendous sillage and longevity. I disagree with that assessment, however. While by no means timid, Quorum has average sillage on me, and lasts about 6 hours before fading. There are rumors that the original formula was more assertive, but at its current price-point, I can't see forking over extra dough just to compare. Quorum is one of the best deals in masculine perfumery - it smells like it could cost at least twice as much as it does.
If I had to summarize the scent of Quorum in one sentence, it would have to be: smells like burnt grass in late September. The first few seconds yield a synthetic grapefruit citrus note, intermingled with a light touch of bitter cigar tobacco and a heavier dose of pine. At the three-minute point, the grapefruit recedes, and the pine steps forward, along with a very spicy arrangement of carnation, cyclamen, patchouli, cumin, and oakmoss. The overall effect is one of sun-singed greens mixed with expired evergreen, akin to the aroma of long-dead pine needles wafting up to greet you as you stroll on a path in the forest. Only the ravages of rainless summer months could yield this effect, and usually it's the first few crisp autumn days that amplify it. As an aromatic woody chypre, Quorum celebrates the season where some greens turn yellow, red, and brown.
When applied judiciously, Quorum has excellent balance and a nice, dry-green aura. However, the artificial grapefruit gets super-sweet and cloying if you over-apply. If the citrus was handled better (perhaps made of better ingredients), Quorum would be a five-star masculine. It enters Green Irish Tweed territory as a scent with situational duality; you can wear this at home, at work, or at play. As it stands, the scent could use a little freshening, but I enjoy it as a worthy addition to my autumnal rotation. Everyone sniffs things differently, and you may or may not get a leathery vibe from Quorum. I don't really smell leather here, and I'm glad. I'll take a musty pine over leather any day of the week.