I was never a big fan of vetiver throughout my fragrance journey. I could appreciate it from the distance, but I stayed away from vetiver-centric compositions as I often got lightheaded from them. But that's because I was smelling the wrong vetiver fumes. With little help from
Vetiver Eau de Toilette too, Nishane's masterpiece here completely changed the way I view the note. And there's arguably no other fragrance that could've done that but the sultan of vetiver itself.
Before the vetiver pushes through with all its raw beauty, the fragrance opens with a very strong spicy-green blast of herbs. The Absinthe is responsible for this, where I'm getting anise, fennel, and even some licorice lending some mild sweetness under this complex bitter botanical opening. The Peruvian pepper contributes with the spiciness and aromatic edge, and I even manage to spot a squeeze of citric bergamot for two-three minutes. Be aware that if you're not particularly accustomed to such intense green herbaceous openings, you might not sit well with this one.
Then, what we've all come for begins to show itself in all its glory: vetiver. But it's not just vetiver; there's four different vetiver notes in here: Java, Bourbon, Haitian, and Brazilian. They all share largely the same accords, so it's not like you can tell them apart when mixed together. But each of them brings the best they have to create the ultimate vetiver scent. Java vetiver has a more rugged smell, more smoky and roasted, and intensely earthy. The Bourbon variant seems smoother and more refined, yet still covering the earthy, rooty and woody facets of every vetiver variation. I also get a more damp earthiness, reminding me of oakmoss quite a lot. The Haitian vetiver keeps things from going overboard by adding a cleaner and brighter tone, with less emphasis on pure earthiness and more on dry woodiness and green, grassy edges, as well as mild florals, pairing nicely with the neroli here for a touch of white floral sweetness. Speaking of sweetness, the tonka bean does a great job here at appending a nutty undertone with faint sweet aspects; not really vanillic. And last but not least, we have the Brazilian vetiver, which is more vibrant with somewhat fresher earthiness. Absolutely stunning.
Along the way in the dry down, some warm but gentle traces of leather can also be sensed, although your olfactive receptors will probably still be too busy processing the complexity of the various vetiver facets. It really is an absolute beauty, blended masterfully and projecting quality through and through. A must-try for any vetiver lover.
Unfortunately for me, I do not get much performance out of
Sultan Vetiver. My skin simply loves punishing me by making many fragrances that I love perform poorly on me. I probably deserve it. Regardless, I get about 8 hours of longevity with rather mid projection. The first hour it pushes pretty comfortably at around 1.5-2 feet, after which it settles for a much closer bubble around me, still getting whiffs of it even after 4-5 hours, but no one else will unless they sit uncomfortably close to me. So I'm free to overspray, but most others seem to be getting significantly better pushing power, so unless you're cursed like me, there's no need to go overboard with the sprays... but you should still do it.
It's no surprise that vetiver can be quite a challenging scent at times, especially for newcomers into the hobby. And given the sheer volume of vetiver notes and distinct facets that you get here, this should be one of the most difficult vetiver scents, even for me. But it isn't. And not only that it isn't, I'd actually rock this on a daily basis as my signature scent without an issue. There's nothing challenging to my nose about it, which is weird given my early experiences with vetiver. So versatility will really depend on that, as this can do as a daily scent for spring or autumn just fine for some, or as a more special occasion pick only for those times you want that unapologetic vetiver complexity.
There's no two ways about it:
Sultan Vetiver is one of the finest vetiver fragrances on the market, and there's no escaping it if you fancy vetiver. You'll eventually stumble across it, and maybe you'll find it too rough and powerful for your tastes. In that case, the Sultan will banish you back to your friendly, slightly grassy vetiver servants. Or maybe you'll fall in its trap, getting lost through all the notes and accords of vetiver, loving every bit there is and not getting enough of it. In that case, you'll pledge allegiance to the Sultan, and you'll be welcomed into a never-ending journey of searching for a contestant who dares to challenge the Sultan and dethrone him; a never-ending journey because there might be no such contestant, as no other vetiver fragrance comes close to
Sultan Vetiver. Well, not that we know of...
Overall Rating: 7.2/10
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Top Notes 
Java vetiver
Absinth
Peruvian pepper tree
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Bourbon vetiver
Neroli
Tonka bean
Base Notes 
Brazilian vetiver
Amberwood
Leather
Merlotsupern
Ceesie
KimJong
Hajuvana
JMWeed
