I held off on Aventus for years specifically because of the hype. When a fragrance gets that much noise around it, the reality almost never matches. I was wrong about this one and I'll admit it.
What gets me is that the pineapple note shouldn't work the way it does. On paper, a fruity opening on a "masculine powerhouse" sounds like a mall fragrance. On skin it smells like nothing else I own. The birch and smoke come in underneath it and suddenly the whole thing makes sense. It's not fruity, it's complex. The pineapple is just the hook. The dry down is what you're actually buying.
The 5ml got me quite a few solid wears in the Scottsdale heat. Enough to know how it performs in warm dry weather, and it holds up. Projection backs off after a few hours but the longevity just keeps going quietly. Seven, eight hours easy.
At this price point for a 5ml I had no reason not to try it before dropping full bottle money. I understand the Aventus price now. That's exactly what this size is for.