Akkad Lubin 2012

Upon first spritz, I saw an empire of exotic culture and sacred rituals. If this is what the Akkadian civilization of 2150 B.C. smelled like, then those must have been luxurious times. Akkad is rich, full bodied and consistent. This is a fragrance one can become lost in. You'll find yourself transported to another time and in no hurry to return. Godly amber, iridescent resins and biblical frankincense that airs a memorable smoky quality.

A nice essay on archaic, Biblical resins. Dense, soft, pleasant and wearable. Almost with no introduction. In medias res hegemony of resins over the dark amber and sweet vanilla.
Similar to Galaad in construction, but significantly more balanced and carefully polished to have the contemporary touch. Interesting fragrance, but with very high price. Nevertheless I appreciate the latest revived Lubin's offerings.

Rating: 7/10

Akkad opens immediately with the primary relatively sweet amber base note front and center, joined by a very subtle orange undertone. The amber remains through the heart, growing in strength and adding mild spices with the initial orange slowly giving way to a very strong frankincense note that now co-stars with the spiced amber through the dry-down, with vanilla rising from the base sweetening the scent to just shy of "too sweet". Projection is average and longevity is excellent.

Akkad is a very nice amber release from Lubin but I confess I expected a bit more. The frankincense and spiced amber combo is quite classic, and the orange undertone adds nice support early-on but I get the feeling that I have smelled this accord many times before. Adding to the mild disappointment is the amber used in Akkad is just a hair sweeter than I usually like, but it never goes completely off the deep-end, staying wearable throughout. It should be noted that the bottle used here along with its two sister releases is the same gorgeous design Idole de Lubin edp used and just like with that one it is an understatement to say the bottles are absolutely striking. I do wish the scent inside were just a tad more innovative to live up to its fine housing, but Akkad is indeed a very nice amber fragrance despite this, earning a good to very good rating of 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5.

Akkad or Akkad was a city of ancient Mesopamia and capital of the Akkadian Empire, which was the dominant political force in Mesopotamia for a period of about 150 years in the last third of the 3rd millennium BC. It is not known what its exact location would have been (the location along the Tigris River is the most likely) but its existence is known from cuneiform writings and the Bible. It prospered under King Sargon (its founder) and his successors. The chief goddess of Akkad was Ishtar-Astarte (Inanna), who was called 'Aštar-annunîtum or "warrior Ishtar". Ishtar was the "bright goddess" or "refulgent", the tutelary deity of the morning and evening star and goddess of war and love (cf. Venus, Aphrodite), whose cult was practiced in the absolute beginnings of Akkad and who inspires this perfume that envelops, comforts and seems to protect us.
Lubin's information reads: “Essence of Akkad is a gift from the beautiful Ishtar, who loves and protects me. It contains all the most precious ointments from Punt, and also those from the islands of the great sea, and others from still further afield.”

Silky, oriental woody featuring a super elegant and luminous amber sprinkled with spices. With cardamom and frankincense (it makes an essential contact to the sweetness of amber) joining the party animated by a small orchestra of tobacco, leather, animalic labdanum and patchouli that together play a sensual, balsamic and slightly “dirty” melody.
An “outstanding” and sophisticated fragrance that seems to give seductive and extraordinary characteristics to the wearer. An aroma that transforms us exhaling a mystical atmosphere and, at the same time, evoking a descent into the profane pleasures of an ancient Orient - with the use of sacred oils and precious spices.
On the skin we feel a sweet and golden sunset born in a distant desert. With high quality raw material presented in a beautiful and original bottle, it is a distant cousin of LDDM. With great personality and “aura” Akkad is good for all seasons but is perfect for autumn and winter and is a natural candidate for a “signature scent”.
It is part of the Lubin palette and “renaissance” from 2009 – after the decline started in the 1960s. It has moderate projection and lasts about 12h (as a scent skin from 6h). It earned a place in my Top 10 fragrances with dominant amber. Divine.

Before you spray Akkad for the first time, I urge you to follow these steps:

1- Read the story and inspiration behind it:

"THE FIRST EMPEROR’S TREASURED AMBER. I am Sargon, powerful sovereign of Akkad, who was brought up by Aqqi, the gardener of the great marshes between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Essence of Akkad is a gift from the beautiful Ishtar, who loves and protects me. It contains all the most precious ointments from Punt, and also those from the islands of the great sea, and others from still further afield. This amber is the light that shines on my kingdom. It is my empire’s most precious treasure."

2- Place its ambery orange colored box in front of you and stare at it.

3- Spray.

I don't know about you, but for me, it immediately transported me to ancient times to the city of Akkad, where I'm smelling all those ointments that were gifted to the emperor, while the sun sets its rays on the palace and the city, overlooking a sea full of commercial ships.

Oh and why did I mention the box? Because the scent smells like the color of the box.

Now to the review:

Akkad starts with a luminous and extremely rich balsamic orange and resins accord. It hits you with richness from the start. There is no juice here. Nothing tropical about the orange if you're wondering. And no it doesn't smell like sunscreen. This is a serious amber that immediately smells "ancient" from the first spray.

If you ask me what makes it smell ancient, I would probably tell you: Technically speaking, it's probably the clary sage mixing with those sublime resins.

Baked within the resins lies a simmering, organic and beautifully executed cardamom accord. Oh my oh my, how perfect cardamom can be when it fits like a glove within a composition.

The scent weaves with richness. It's dense, slightly spicy, a tiny bit smoky, dark yet full of light. It truly embodies the meaning of the word "resinous" with all its glory. You want to know what resinous smells like? There you go, this is it.

It's so good, to the point where I started hunting for scents that have that similar "orange luminous amber" accord, only to be disappointed because nothing ever came close to this, period.

In the late drydown, a creamy vanilla accord starts weaving between those ultra rich resins, signaling the end of you teleportation to the city of Akkad.

Akkad is N'1 on my wish list for a reason.

The word "Masterpiece" doesn't do justice for this amber. It's more than that.