Fortis Liquides Imaginaires 2011

I turned my husband into a perfumisto by sticking great scents under his nose. He promptly acquired about 15 wonderful perfumes then announced he was done -- until this weekend when I had him smell Fortis. His eyes lit up. He sniffed and sniffed then made me promise to send him a link so he could buy it. I'm going to have to buy it, too.

Fortis is a simply outstanding fragrance.

I've never smelled cypriol (i.e., papyrus, ordering a sample right now), so can't be sure what it's contributing to this magical blend of woods, sultry spices, musks, vetiver and vanilla, the latter two not overdone, but lending their accents. Amyris must be adding the mildly resinous note.

All I know for sure is that this perfume is a swoon-inducer. It's agreeably light, rather than heavy, no doubt due to the lack of incense. The woods are rendered so well they're almost sweet. It doesn't shout like the nevertheless fabulous Norma Kamali Incense, but sits quietly on the skin, projecting enough to be known but not to drive anyone away.

In a world of often copycat so-so perfumes, Fortis is a beautiful, beautiful accomplishment.

p.s. Since posting this I read comparisons of Fortis with Nasomatto's Black Afgano and since I have a sample handy, I compared them. Yes, they're both lovely woods, but IMO Fortis surpasses Black Afgano in beauty by quite a lot, the lack of incense making it accessible to both women and men. Black Afgano projects a bit more after drydown, but that's it.

p.p.s I do have cypriol, a woody, leathery, smoky note from the root of an Indian sedge plant. It contributes beautifully to Fortis's top note.

Update 12/27/14
Fortis arrived a few days ago and doesn't disappoint. I've already worn it twice, just swooning.

Fortis ... yum. The fragrance, which of the 'niche and more expensive' fragrances I have known, long-lasting and may be considered clones of Black Afgano, is the closest to Black Afgano.
For me, the only difference in smell is that it is a little less smoky and a little sweeter (but not sweet, sweet or fruity). Besides - veeeeery similar (95%).
There is another difference than the scent of Black Afgano - the price !!!
Calculated for 1 ml - it is simply cheaper and a bottle of 100 ml, so taking into account the durability of about 12 hours - for me no.1.
I write that No.1, despite the fact that the BA fragrance is unique, beautiful, addictive and it was the first.
I have conducted the tests several times hand in hand and supports the opinion that if I had to buy and splash about these addictive fragrances, beautiful, incredibly deep, and I had to choose only one - I would choose FORTIS.Ciao Alessandro Gualtieri. Mi dispiace.

I don’t come to the Black Afgano DNA with any particular history or feeling, so can honestly say I understand its broad appeal. You have to place it in the proper context. It was probably a new shape in the air at the time. Instead of offering boys suede or incense or ambergris or sandalwood or spice, it bundles all of those things up in one vaguely dark-ish, sweet, smooth mass and calls it a day. These days, that kind of DNA has been done to death, so perfumes like Fortis and Black Afgano have lost the element of surprise.

To me, Fortis smells gummy and formless, with a generic herbal-smoke note for a bit of roughage. This reflects the rise of cypriol as a wondrous material that, while derived from an Indian plant, manages to smell like one of those strangely plush, pleasant-smelling chemicals that spill out of the vents at a carpet factory, so deeply unnatural but also good (fuel, petrol, glue, putty). The greyish suede-sandal accord is pumped with so much saffron, cumin, pepper, and other spices that at times, it even approaches the general territory of Black Cashmere by Donna Karan, which I always think of a block of ebony wood that is perfectly glossy and ergonomically smooth, quietly emanating silky ribbons of spice. I think Red Aoud by Montale is also a distant cousin.

There is something almost obnoxiously buttery underpinning the mass, which makes me feel a tiny bit nauseous, which is the point at which the perfume starts to unravel into its constituent parts, which are of course powered by aromachemicals I tend to find either too ‘scratchy’ or too fake-creamy – Ambroxan, Amberwood, suederol, Cashmeran, Javanol, etc. To its credit, though some of the scent’s chemical under-structure is eventually exposed, it still holds together in (mostly) one vaguely sweet, incensey, ambery, sueded-sandalwoody mass. This is a highly processed food product rather than the raw food my gut prefers, so even though technically-speaking, it is a decent example of a distinct style or time period in perfumery, I don’t ever want to wear it again.

Sampling Liquides Imaginaires Fortis, originally released in 2011, a dark, smoky, resinous, woody blend, with featured notes of oud, cumin, cypriol, saffron, mixed woods, vetiver, and musk, yielding a bit of a dark, funky, cannabis-adjacent concoction that, while reasonably intense, is not overbearing, though I imagine it would prove challenging for some that prefer only lighter/fresher woody/spicy scents. Despite its boldness, it’s smooth despite being a little sharp and heady.

Its similarities to Nasomatto Black Afgano, which was launched two years prior, are palpable to me, with the main difference being that Black Afgano has more of a cannabis vibe than Fortis, though both are similarly smoky/ashy, resinous, dark, spicy, sharp, and somewhat funky. Concentration is EDP and official retail points of sale in the US include great boutiques like Perfumology, in which the pricing is $200 for 100ml. It performs very well, albeit not as well as Black Afgano, so perhaps there’s somewhat of a tradeoff of potency for pricing.

Overall, I’m really impressed by this as a dark, complex, interesting but still wearable option, a slightly less extreme alternative to Black Afgano.

8 out of 10

Singing in the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory is an unforgettable experience for a young chorister. But our performance in the smaller Rachmaninov Hall has also remained vividly in my memory: Various, mainly local choirs presented a short program of four or five pieces each. And we were right in the middle of it. Anyone familiar with Russian choirs will hardly have missed that there is an emphasis on power there. Interpretative subtleties or our local ideal of "blending" the voices into a common sound take a back seat.

The beginning was made by a group of monks, offering a thunderously impressive harmony. My dear singing society - after that, we didn't want to perform. However, the second ensemble came along, which excessively stretched the idea of power. The solo tenor and bass had the qualities of a circular saw or a Class I typhoon, and the rest of the group did their best to keep up.

It was completely pointless to try to shout back against such things as a teenager. Our choir director therefore issued (not for the first time on our trip to Russia...) the directive: "Let's show how quiet it can be!"

Fortis now shows us how quietly - and nuanced - Black Afgano can be.

As a sort of prelude, after a brief Black Afgano tease at the beginning, the scent initially presents itself as rather spicy. Quite a bit of cumin, warm and borderline sweaty. After half an hour, I smell more of the "black," specifically the sweet, thick, lacquer-like quality, but here not so aggressively. The dark, concentrated wood note that reigns today is noticeably more subtle and refined than with Nasomatto. I could imagine that (artificial?) sandalwood plays a role in this impression and would welcome any corrections.

Throughout the development, various hints float in. Around noon, for example, a slightly sharp note, like paprika powder. Just a small pinch that brings in a new nuance and prevents boredom. The wood gently reveals a medicinal, oudy side - in impeccable "piano," of course.

In the afternoon, a few gentle, animalistic aspects come into play. Amber is plausible, there’s an idea of leatheriness that points to patchouli, perhaps even castoreum. But all just touches. By evening, one could also speak of ambER; undoubtedly, sandalwood and vanilla seem to be present. I can sense musk. Yet our distinctive wood - and with it the connection to Black Afgano - is consistently present in a leitmotif-like manner.

Conclusion: Although I can't relate to many of the pyramid claims about Fortis, it strikes me, despite its superficial similarity to Nasomatto, as richer in aromas and nuances, and thus ultimately more relaxed and confident. Moreover, the endurance of the "black" might eventually be perceived as an irritating penetrance. Fortis, on the other hand, gradually fades after seven or eight hours, and that is just enough. A candidate for the wish list.