See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Trade Routes

As Sawira Penhaligon's 2014

7.9 / 10 120 Ratings

A popular perfume by Penhaligon's for men, released in 2014. The scent is woody-oriental. The production was apparently discontinued.
Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Woody

Oriental

Spicy

Floral

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Saffron

Bergamot

Absinth

Davana

Heart Notes

Rose

Clove

Labdanum

Cardamom

Carnation

Jasmine

Base Notes

Myrrh

Oud

Amber

Gaiac wood Musk

Musk

Sandalwood Vanilla

Vanilla

Cedarwood

Patchouli

Perfumer

Christian Provenzano

Ratings

Scent

7.9120 Ratings

Longevity

7.595 Ratings

Sillage

7.099 Ratings

Bottle

8.1117 Ratings

Value for money

6.917 Ratings

Submitted by Michael, last update on 08/02/2024.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Trade Routes.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Oud & Pink

Levantium

Risqué pour Homme / Creation-R pour Homme (Eau de Parfum) by Roja Parfums

Risqué pour Homme Eau de Parfum

L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Noir Ambré

Epic Man

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/18/2015

9Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

3

Limited Projection, Maximum Oud Love...

As Sawira goes on with a blast of saffron spice with traces of the underlying super-smooth focal Oud oil accord peeping through early. As the composition moves to its early heart the saffron and smooth Oud oil remain with the Oud growing in intensity, now joined by slightly boozy raisin and jasmine-like davana, aromatic peach and relatively sweet resinous myrrh. During the late dry-down the composition becomes quite woody, less sweet and somewhat drier, as an Oud wood chip facet is added to the earlier smooth Oud oil and resinous myrrh, additionally joined by supporting slightly powdery vanilla through the finish. Projection is on the low side of average, but longevity is very good at 10-11 hours on skin.

The first thing that went through my mind as As Sawira was sprayed on skin was the blend is super-smooth and refined with a very realistic Oud oil and davana focus. The second thing noticed was the significant resemblance stylistically to two of the best Western Oud compositions on the market from The Different Company, Oud for Love and Oud Shamash. The peach and davana (among other things) in As Sawira distinguish it from The Different Company sister scents, but the style definitely is in the same ballpark with the composition sharing some of the same smooth natural smelling Oud oil aspects with a similar degree of refinement and spice. The peach in As Sawira plays much more of a key role than one first realizes, adding an extremely pleasant aromatic quality that melds with the smooth Oud oil accord perfectly early, then the Oud wood aspect late. Quite frankly, the whole composition is skillfully done from top to bottom, remaining pleasant and polished at all times. Some may be disappointed by the composition's less than stellar projection, but this can be a positive for situations where a more personal experience is warranted, making As Sawira extremely versatile. The bottom line is the $210 per 100ml bottle limited edition As Sawira is a marvelous concoction that is both highly pleasant, natural smelling and sophisticated at the same time, earning it an "excellent" to "outstanding" 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5 and an extremely strong recommendation. If one is a fan of the two The Different Company Oud sister scents, As Sawira is as close to a lock for a winner as you will find.

11/13/2020

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Castleman
9 Reviews

Castleman

Spice & Flower Markets

I'm really impressed with this one, it is probably a more mature man's fragrance but not exclusively. It is like opening the door on a warm day to a small but amazing spice and flower market stocked to the rafters. I don't have an expert nose but definitely can smell the spices, floral and wood notes. It immediately has my mind racing to a spice and flower market somewhere in the Middle East or North Africa even though I haven't been there. It is beautifully blended and is warming and comforting on an Autumn or Winter's day. I only have a sample at present but post COVID when I get to London a visit to Penhaligon's is on the cards. I think this is something special. To be able to create an amazing fragrance like this blending so many ingredients needs not just a master's nose but an artists creativity too. I can't travel with COVID regulations but this one has brought the world to me.

07/12/2015

10Scent

Bertel
236 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Bertel

Top Review 25

Dark Glittering Floral Oud

"As Sawira" was released in 2014 as the fourth fragrance in Penhaligon's "Trade Routes Collection." It is supposedly inspired by Essaouira, the first port established in Morocco in the 19th century, from where the precious cargo of spices, woods, and other treasures made its way to the London Docklands.

When I initially only wanted to buy "Halfeti," I recently had the chance to experience it at the Penhaligon's boutique in Covent Garden, and I couldn't get it out of my nose, heart, and mind. In the meantime, it has happily settled in with me.

After "Levantium" had briefly focused on the theme of Oud as the first Penhaligon's fragrance, leaning more towards the alcoholic-creamy-soft direction, Christian Provenzano clearly chooses the deeper, darker, denser tones for "As Sawira." And what one could superficially dismiss as "oh, yet another Oud fragrance!" reveals, upon closer inspection/smelling and getting to know it (like the other "Trade Routes" compositions), a broad, rich, differentiated palette of shimmering facets that I have not yet fully explored.

The pyramid holds more theoretical value for me. Sure, one component might flash at times, and another can be discovered if you read it and focus on it - overall, from the actual sensual experience, this is an incredibly dense, tightly woven fragrance that doesn't really undergo significant development but rather turns slowly like a multifaceted dark brown sphere with thousands of bronze-golden crystal shards, allowing the most colorful reflections and shades to shimmer and flicker around our noses.

The Oud theme is central, in a dark gold-glittering variant that has nothing coarse or overly woody-medical about it, but rather holds back gracefully and softly, aware of its own effect, letting its light play more than its fumes. This is complemented by other very closely related and hardly isolated woody notes that obediently line up and enhance the composition.

The uniqueness, the captivating charm of this fragrance for me is the combination of this dense Oud sphere with deep, dark floral notes. At least I perceive them as dark. In the Covent Garden boutique, we agreed that this is a "floral oud," immediately attractive and seductive. Here, one can certainly recognize rose, jasmine, and clove notes as individual components if one really wants to and follows them, with Davana leading in with its sweet-fruity note right from the start.

Unfortunately, this very constellation, this extremely exciting interplay with swapped roles, with bright Oud woods and dark, deeply fragrant flowers, hardly develops on my skin, as the scent quickly reduces to an indefinable slightly sweet Oud, while on the deep, dense, rich skin of my friend, "As Sawira" blooms unbelievably and expresses itself, unfolding all facets of "floral oud wood" glowing with deep embers and showing me a dangerously fiery reddish-brown shimmer with golden highlights - irresistible. By the way, the longevity is also fitting here. Recommendation: definitely test it on your own skin!

01/04/2016

8Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

FabianO
1008 Reviews

Translated · Show original

FabianO

Top Review 14

Enrichment of the Oriental Portfolio - Smooth, Elegant, Noble

Even though I have now experienced a few dozen beautiful, deep, and versatile oriental fragrances and my collection is richly filled in that regard, something new in this style always crosses my path that can further enrich the portfolio.

"As Sawira" presents itself as one of the best and most balanced Penhaligon fragrances I have smelled so far.

Inviting from the start, a creamy, quite sillage-strong note opens up, somewhere between dried fruits, very noble woods, oriental balsams, subtle smoky aromas, a hint of oud-like resinousness, and something slightly floral.

In its smoothness, it comes quite close to "Jubilation XXV," and over time, it unfolds an aromatic roundness, elegance, and complexity that does not fall short of the highly praised Amouage.

Particularly brilliant seems to me the blend of subtle fruitiness, slightly bitter floral notes, and sweetly caressing noble woodiness, all entwined with buttery soft smoky myrrh, noble oud, and lovely, albeit lightly dosed vanilla.

The only minor criticism: After 1-2 hours, it becomes a bit too flat for my taste, the beautiful aromas of the first hours fade away a bit too quickly for my feeling, which affects the complexity that one has become so accustomed to at the beginning. Otherwise, however, it is flawless.

10/19/2015

9Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

DaveGahan101
535 Reviews

Translated · Show original

DaveGahan101

Top Review 13

Top Note Unesco, Base Note Douglas!

So far, I could only admire the Trades Collection from a distance, except for the beautiful Halfefi. "Admire" is the right word for these amazing bottles. This bottle/box must be one of the most beautiful of the brand...wonderful! It really makes you want to test it!
As Sawira starts with an incredibly beautiful top note...this should be proposed for the World Heritage, saffron, rose, oud, bergamot, and absinthe in a dreamy combination. Rose-oud opponents, don't worry, this is not the 100th repetition of this theme; the rose holds back a bit for me here, yet the top and heart notes have a floral touch! More jasmine than davana...but everything with an "English" finesse, it could have come from Atkinson as well.

I perceive As Sawira as a bright and noble fragrance, yet it is warm-spicy, not the ultimate cuddler but rather the "office oud," more suit than jeans or hoodie! Despite its opulence, it has stylish restraint, not weak, but also not loud. From the heart note onwards, the spices take over more and more, the already mentioned delicious cardamom, spicy woods, and a larger dose of myrrh...sounds like a dream finale at first...if it weren't for this serious and dry implementation, which strongly reminds me of Supreme Oud. Slightly brittle, minimally dull, and leathery. Actually, the exact opposite of the radiant top note, even though it doesn't smell bad or musty, it just smells rather blandly ordinary. This doesn't drag the fragrance down too much, but it takes away my initial euphoria. It slips from the wish list to the watch list. For the top note, it can only get a 100, for the base and the dry down rather only a 70, so I round the average of 85 up to 90. Since the longevity and sillage are clearly above average, especially the longevity with 8 hours can score here. Therefore, it deserves the 90. Great fragrance that will get another chance!

More reviews

Statements

23 short views on the fragrance

KimJong

1 year ago

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

1

A little animalic, but very gentle, resinous sweet and refined. Appropriate sillage, perfect for comfortable wear.

JonasP1

4 years ago

7.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

33

26

In the Oriental Garden
Like a gentle thunderstorm
A flow of various spices
Through walls of sandalwood
Wild roses see
That never fade

Translated · Show original

Floyd

4 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

26

21

Dark roses
Saffron-leather saddle
Through endless dunes
Of fine sandalwood
Red roasts the guava caravan
Spices dry up
In the desert sun

Translated · Show original

Yatagan

8 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

12

2

Orientexpress: On the journey to Indian cardamom and sandalwood, the traveler collects rose and saffron from Persia and patchouli from Indonesia.

Translated · Show original

Smoetn

3 years ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

9

6

A great oriental fragrance that really has everything to be a true classic. Spices, rose, resins, woods. Could easily be from Amouage...

Translated · Show original

Jolanda12

3 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

9

4

Spicy floral bouquet
Lightly citrusy soul
Exotically tinged
Nutty and woody

Translated · Show original

FragFreak666

3 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

7

4

A little rose, delicate and fine; elegantly and purely surrounded by spices; charmingly seduced by resinous Oud. That's the Orient.

Translated · Show original

Rieke2021

2 years ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

7

5

Gentle oriental with clove in the buttonhole + British understatement. Harmonious, warming, buttery soft, fine + elegant. Beautiful + office-friendly.

Translated · Show original