Sundowner Tauer Perfumes 2021

Sundowner is interesting because, despite the much advertized chocolate and orange notes, it gets the salivary glands working without being foody. The first blast is a foghorn of amber, spices, booze, and veiny pipe tobacco, but there is an undertow of medicinal sourness that smells like wood chips left to ferment in a rusty barrel. The Tauer signature is strong, namely the rubbery smoke reminiscent of freshly creosote-ed fences, the brash salty amber, the piercing cinnamon, all set against a watery floral note that might be rose. There are, at least initially, some parallels to PHI Une Rose de Kandahar, minus the fruity apricot conserve, and to the muscular expansiveness of L’Air du Desert Marocain.

But the more I wear it, the more I think Sundowner does something special. In draping the front end with all this almost fermented, grungy funk, Tauer sets the stage for the tobacco note to emerge through a new curtain rather than the usual one of dried fruit, gingerbread, and vanilla. And, as it turns out, sour is better than sweet when it comes to carving out the true scent of tobacco leaf because Sundowner features one of the best, most true to life renditions of tobacco that I have ever smelled. It is briny, rich, tart, and sweet all at once. How this was accomplished, I neither know nor care. When you find the spirit of tobacco bottled, you just buy it and let it take you on a magic carpet ride every time.

This fragrance opens with a hint of orange — just a whisper — but it's quickly overtaken by a rich, earthy brew. Right away, you get that deep, woody dankness, with raw, almost chewy tobacco at the center. It's intense, concentrated, and slightly bitter, with a sharp kick of cinnamon that smells more like the essential oil than a sweet bakery spice.

There’s cocoa hiding in the background, but it never really steps into the spotlight. Instead, cypriol takes charge. It's loud, rooty, and aromatic, almost bulldozing everything else in its path. Patchouli and sandalwood follow suit, but the sandalwood here is not your usual creamy variety. No, this smells like freshly chopped wood — sharp, slightly astringent, and bone-dry.

The blending feels very artisanal, almost as if it were composed entirely of potent essential oils. There’s zero airiness here — no breathing room for the notes to stretch out. While the materials feel high quality, the proportions seem off. It’s like the perfumer had access to the finest ingredients but was a bit heavy-handed with them. The result? A fragrance that feels unbalanced and slightly chaotic. Cypriol overshadows the tobacco, which is a shame, because the tobacco note is raw and genuinely enjoyable. There’s also something earthy and salty — maybe ambergris? — that seems to clash with the sweeter elements like tonka and vanilla. The darker notes and the warm, sweet notes are fighting for dominance rather than blending in harmony. When I wear this, it doesn’t feel cohesive. Sometimes I catch a whiff and think, ooh, that’s nice, and other times I sniff my wrist and think, wait, what is that?

It’s long-lasting, and it projects well. Definitely not a beast, but it holds its own.

I’d call it a bold woody-earthy tobacco with spicy undertones, a touch of sweetness, and a fruity glimmer up top.

This decant didn’t win me over at first — harsh, sharp, and not smooth. But this is a fragrance that truly benefits from maceration. After three years, it’s mellowed beautifully. Still edgy and a bit unpolished, but far more wearable and intriguing now.

This is mr Tauer’s expression of tobacco , vanilla and cinnamon. These are the notes most predominant for my nose, but this is so well blended that from mid to drydown they intermingle and merge perfectly, no note is out of balance here. There is a faint chocolatey vibe present , but all depends in the season you’ll wear it. (More so present in a colder season) I suspect he uses the same Tauer-ade from L’Air du Desert because i smell some minor similarities in the drydown.
All in all an excellent creation by Andy.

Sundowner opens with a sweet orange zest and a tobacco note that reminds me of Tobacco Oud. Cinnamon joins in and the first few minutes are absolutely wonderful. Afterwards, when the boozy cocoa and vanilla enter, the DNA becomes a bit stale, similar to Oajan, a sweet woody combination I have smelled many times before. But Hr. Tauer's version of this is high-quality and elegant. It is long-lasting but doesn't punch you in the face with its sillage, opting to be an intimate date-night fragrance. Not earth-shattering, but a very pleasant perfume.

I really looked forward to sampling this and I wanted to have an instant love affair with this; I was down to get this on order as soon as that first sniff blew me away. Card at the ready.

the sample arrived

I dove into the my usual sampling circus, of peculiar habits, I was ready to be blown away. I had opened the store page where I located the only store that sold it...blow me away Sundowner!

...it didn't.

It smelt like a stale chocolate bar, that had been sat on the rear seat of a old Morris Marina; not great chocolate, not even typically common chocolate; nah this is some cheap knock-off bar that some guy sold this by the box out of a busted van. It was bitter, oily chocolate that you'd not be too surprised to find out it was supposed only for dog consumption

...such a downer