Sultan opens with vanilla fully on display, it is absolutely a top note in this fragrance. And the lovely thing about vanilla is that unlike other notes that are traditionally "base notes," it doesn't really need any top or mid notes to block its unpleasant first impression before it makes its appearance in the drydown. And the vanilla is LUSH here. Complex and natural. Usually when a brand advertises use of a material like "bourbon vanilla absolute," it's either minuscule in its proportion or completely nonexistent. But Sultan's opening really smells like vanilla extract. I'm reminded of an angel food cake in the first 10 minutes or so.
The woodiness and smokiness doesn't come in until about half an hour in. Although cedar is listed as a top note, it makes more sense in this fragrance as a heart note (and vanilla could be listed in every tier, since it is there from beginning to end). The heart of this fragrance is woody, I'm assuming some combination of the cedar and sandalwood; it doesn't get TOO pencil-shaving-like but that effect is there, and of course the vanilla is mixed in with it so the woodiness doesn't get too overwhelming.
And finally the smokiness comes through in the base. Generally I'm not a fan of the smoky vanillas, e.g. Babycat, Memoirs of a Trespasser, etc, which invariably end up smelling like burnt rubber mixed with vanilla cake to me. The trick employed in Sultan I believe is not having the smoky notes come out until the base. Not sure how they achieved this, but in all other smoky vanillas, I get the smoke right from the beginning, while in Sultan, I have to stick my face in where I sprayed to get any smoke, at least in the first hour or so. And finally when it opens up in the drydown it's glorious.
Sultan would be full bottle worthy for sure, and maybe even close to a perfect 10 for me, if it weren't for the date note. Or what I assume is the date note. It's a sugary presence that is there from first spray to last gasp on the skin, and doesn't let me fully appreciate what is going on beneath it. It takes the vanilla note from warm, complex, and multifaceted to trite and a bit synthetic. It's really disappointing because this would probably be the perfect smoky vanilla fragrance if it wasn't for that sugariness.
Still, it's a great perfume, and close to perfect if you don't mind the sugary note/aromachem. Lasts forever, and surprisingly projects quite well too, despite being a fragrance with mostly base notes that should in theory sit close to skin. Would work very well for any cool-weather outing. Yes, retail price is high, but currently a 50ml will run you $190 on a well-known discounter site, and that is good value considering this is pretty much superior to Babycat in every way.
