Royal Patchouli Ajmal 2021

Priced at the lower end of the Ajmal range, Royal Patchouli is nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable mukhallat. Belying the name, it is, at least initially, far more of a floral vanilla than a patchouli-forward affair. Enriched with the heady bubblegum-banana aroma of ylang, the vanilla thickens up over the course of the wear into a semi-tropical custard – a cross between M. Micallef’s Ylang in Gold and Hiram Green’s Arbolé Arbolé. This is not Le Labo, however, in that despite its rather secondary role here, there is a bit of the titular ingredient in the formula. The patchouli is subtle, and surprisingly for this material, does not attempt to chew up the scenery. It spends most of its time humming away in the background as a green, minty breath of fresh air. A few hours in, a creamy amber takes over, and this is when the patchouli finally decides to kick it up a notch, doubling down on red-brown richness until the floral vanilla gains a waxy, white chocolate mien, for an almost Coromandel-esque vibe. Ultimately, Royal Patchouli is a more than serviceable floral vanilla with minty-boozy patchouli undertones and an appealing eggnog-like texture. For those who think they dislike any and all patchouli perfumes, from the middle-earth examples to the fruity ones like Thierry Mugler’s Angel, this mukhallat could prove to be acceptable middle ground.