Thurible Rook Perfumes 2018

This fragrance is a light and approachable church incense scent. Yet it still has enough depth. Usually, incense is a bit too much for me. Over time, it can be overwhelming, often too monotonous or musty. I like the scent itself - especially when it has a sacred quality - and its calming aura, but unfortunately, floating works like CdG's Avignon or the distinctly green and quite fresh Kyoto become burdensome for me after a short time. I love Etro's Messe de Minuit, like Heeley's Cardinal and Robert Piguet's Casbah very much, but only this one do I wear and can tolerate on my skin for several hours.

This is not due to the incense itself, as it is comparable to the soft, almost weightless sacred incense of Avignon - although the CdG scent is a bit more radiant - but rather to its interesting accompanying facets. There is especially this herbal freshness (sage), which on my skin shows a slight nuance of pine-like woodiness. The ethereal freshness is not as penetrating as the cypress in Kyoto; rather, it is somewhat muted, but calmer and fits excellently into the restrained character of the fragrance. The second reason I enjoy wearing it is related to its understated, slightly sweet balsamic quality, which accompanies a gentle, natural rose note. Finally, a subtle mineral saltiness emerges, radiating something very earthy with a gentle mossy touch. These three poles keep the incense in balance and emphasize both the soft, sensual and the ethereal-mineral, cool side of olibanum oil. Thus, it has little chance to show its quite characteristic mustiness. As the dear Parfumo FvSpee rightly states in his comment below, it is significantly softer than the notes might suggest. So don’t be put off by ash, black pepper, and leather, nor be disappointed if it feels too gentle for you. Because that is indeed what it is: a gentle church incense scent.

In my perception, its quality does not quite reach the aforementioned fragrances (somewhat duller, not as clearly defined). However, these also represent, in terms of church incense (with the exception of Kyoto), some of the benchmarks. In terms of wearability, it surpasses them in my eyes, as its described facets make it varied enough to prefer it over the very linear Avignon, and on the other hand, its restrained composition makes it more tolerable over time, allowing me to prefer it to the other three church incense fragrances mentioned above, as well as to some Amouage classics.

The longevity is still within acceptable limits, but for an incense scent, it is on the lower end with about 5 hours of good perceivability. After that, it can only be detected up close. This lasts for a few more hours. The projection and sillage are likewise moderate.

Rook Perfumes is a young British niche brand founded by Londoner Nadeem Crowe in 2018. He is also the nose behind the eight releases so far. Additionally, he is a practicing doctor, theater actor (having performed on stage with Glenn Close in the West End Theater), and enjoys traveling the world. The triangle as the brand symbol represents his three passions: medicine, perfume, and art. His credo in creating fragrances is to establish a connection between high-quality and interesting niche appeal and uncomplicated wearability. In my view, he has succeeded well here.