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Kavi Moltz

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Amber Kiso D.S. & Durga 2018

7.9 / 10 294 Ratings

A popular perfume by D.S. & Durga for women and men, released in 2018. The scent is woody-leathery. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody

Leathery

Smoky

Resinous

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Frankincense

Sawara cypress

Cryptomeria

Heart Notes

Patchouli

Iris

Japanese maple

Base Notes

Leather

Hinoki cypress

Tree moss

Perfumer

David Seth Moltz

Ratings

Scent

7.9294 Ratings

Longevity

8.9255 Ratings

Sillage

8.2259 Ratings

Bottle

7.6222 Ratings

Value for money

7.1167 Ratings

Submitted by M3000 · last update on 02/19/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Le Lion de Chanel

The Lover's Tale Extrait de Parfum

Byzantine Amber Extrait de Parfum

Aquilaria Blossom

Kiso Cologne

Guilty Absolute pour Homme

Reviews

19 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/28/2025

9Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

Smirky
524 Reviews

Smirky

Helpful Review 7

Good sleeper

Amber Kiso turned out to be a quite good under the radar (at least to me) fragrance. Opens with an incense-y and very slightly everygreenish scent that quickly gives way to quite an animalic leathery scent rounded out by resin. The animalic accord is quite prominent for at least 7 to 8 hours at which point it evolves into more of a simple leather scent. Didn't expect it to last that long in that mode. Beyond that, it continues on for quite a long time. The next morning, I was still carrying a noticeable leathery scent. Overall, strikes me as very masculine.

I have to disagree with the main characterizations of this fume as woody and smokey. In the first phase (after the opening) it's animalic-leather-resin, in that order or prominence. The second mode, the order switches to leather-animalic and in the final mode, it's mostly leather. Didn't really get woody or smokey accords. If they are there, they were too subtle for my nose to identify, and certainly not the most prominent accords.

Performance is quite good. Longevity was at least 16 hours at which point I took my morning shower. Projection was also strong for at least 4 to 5 hours. Overspraying will definitely fumigate a room. Price is quite reasonable and Amber Kiso is available in 1.7 oz/50ml bottles around $86 at US discounters. I want this one.

09/24/2025

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Omnipotato
493 Reviews

Omnipotato

Very helpful Review 4

Smoky leathery root-beer-esque amber

Wow this is a stunner. One of the best masculine ambers I've ever tried. It opens a bit harsh and smoky, a bit animalic. Just as you're thinking a dark heavy oud note is going to enter, you instead are presented with sweetness: it transitions into a root-beer-esque amber with woody and leathery tones. The sweetness slowly diminishes leaving behind a slightly animalic and powdery leather for the second transition of Amber Kiso into essentially the drydown of "The Lover's Tale | Francesca Bianchi". This basically "fixes" that fragrance for me, because like many of Francesca Bianchi's other fragrances, The Lover's Tale opens with a big powdery floral note that I'm not a big fan of. But Amber Kiso keeps its incredible drydown, while having a completely different, and in my opinion, much superior opening. There's an implication here that I think that Amber Kiso is based in some way on The Lover's Tale but they came out the same year, so they were probably developed completely independently of each other, just happen to be similar.

The note pyramid is misleading, especially considering the name of the fragrance. Amber Kiso doesn't contain an amber note? There are definitely woody notes here but I don't think they're really in the forefront (despite the thoughts of the reviewer directly below mine), so I don't think there should be 3 different cypress notes plus maple in the pyramid. I get some smokiness from the opening but not really frankincense per se. There's definitely some bergamot giving that cola/root beer vibe. So I'd revise the note pyramid thus, if I were in charge of D.S. & Durga's marketing:

Top:
Smoky notes, bergamot, cypress

Heart:
Amber (or break it down into vanilla, labdanum, benzoin), patchouli, iris

Base:
Leather, animalic notes (castoreum? that's what's in The Lover's Tale), oakmoss

Updated on 09/24/2025

08/14/2024

7.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

JewishJesus
65 Reviews

JewishJesus

2

Incense in a Japanese Garden

A powerful fragrance with lasting aroma and strong projection. This is one that certainly announces its presence. Spraying on a tester, there is a good bit of Japanese incense, and even some sweetness at first, although on my skin these are dulled versus the core notes. The tree notes are present, but don't evoke the feeling of being in a forest, more so an Asian garden. There's quite a bit of amber and leather here, as well as a generally smoky undercurrent. I do wish the amber was a bit less to really let natural woods and delicate, Japanese incense shine for something a bit more serene.

A dark, woody, leathery, smoky, and oriental spiced fragrance that manages to create something with a good bit of depth worthy of repeated wears. Not yet decided if this is one that deserves more than a sample for me, but it's certainly worth a test. The more I wear it, the more I enjoy it.

Updated on 08/14/2024

04/25/2023

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

EnomisCVD
138 Reviews

EnomisCVD

2

Amber, woody incense

Kiso: a Japanese forest composed of valuable trees whose wood is used in traditional religious ceremonies.
In a temple within it, a sacred ritual is taking place.
Like a Katana, hints of incense and woody ointments reach the nose.
The leather becomes imbued with these aromas and becomes one with the air around it.
Mystical and solemn is the atmosphere; rigorous and welcoming at the same time.

Amber Kiso is a fragrance with a markedly amber and incensed structure.
Strong, decisive, penetrating and sharp as a Samurai's saber rattling.

Updated on 04/26/2023

12/27/2018

3Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Greenfaerie
86 Reviews

Greenfaerie

2

BBQ doused with medicine

Another (probable) blind-buy mistake. Unlike Amber Teutonic, I don't get any amber from this. I would characterize Amber Kiso as a leather fragrance. Even then, it's more like a BBQ fragrance. The smoke is so intense--is that supposed to be "leather"? I think the whole "ancient armor" description is rather dramatic and kind of exaggerated. I was expecting this lovely, smooth, woody blend that smelled simple and Japanese. I could have sworn I read a review on Cafleurebon that said it was so, but this stuff clobbers you from the first spray until 14+ hours later. It's a sillage monster on me. It's fairly linear. After a a couple hours, there is a medicinal note that I notice, like resinous herbs, like sage and rosemary blended together. I like this part, probably the saving grace for me, but I'm not sure I can jive with with overwhelming BBQ scent. I actually thought Mississippi Medicine would smell just like this because so many people say it's smoky and medicinal, and sillage was minimal. Amber Kiso matches those descriptions a lot better. If you like MM as I do, and you wish it was insanely tenacious or even downright aggressive, far more smoky and leathery, this will be your jam! I am going to keep my bottle for now because I think it might grow on me. I would suggest spraying VERY lightly at first. I think a light mist would bring out the other notes better.

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