Diwan The Spirit of Dubai 2017

There is little that moves me nowadays in terms of olfactive art, pergaps with the exception of smouldering perfumed oud chips. I thought I'd reached the pinnacle with Roja Parfums, but then I ran into Spirit Of Dubai. And so, the limits are pushed further

This is one of those perfumes that makes me in awe of what I'm experiencing at the fragrance boutiques. I was running out of real estate on my skin but found room on my knee. Probably looked like an idiot walking the mall and stopping periodically, bringing my knee up to my nose again and again

There was a lot of fragrance to explore that day and I can't tell what exactly I was getting from Diwan, but within the first few minutes after application I was ready to buy it. Learning the price gave me pause and I decided I'd order a sample as samples are not sold in-store, only online, and I wouldn't want to hastily drop $1,000 USD for 90ml based on a first impression

I do know Diwan was the standout for me from the second generation perfumes of the brand, had me in awe, and i can't wait to thoroughly test it with a sample. This is one of those rare ones you stumble into that rekindles your fire for fragrance. Thank you Spirit Of Dubai / Nabeel :)

Diwan from the Arab House of Perfumery Niche Haute Luxury Nabeel from the Second Generation of The Spirit Of Dubai Exclusive Line is a Oriental Woody Amber Smoky Incensed Fruity Spicy Floral Unisex perfume; It was released in 2017. An ultra-niche collection; by becoming an embodiment of the city, The Spirit Of Dubai collection was inspired and paid tribute to it, it is a celebration of the city. With even more selected ingredients, the second generation expands the narrative of the first generation, covering more themes in the quest to pay homage to the city of Dubai with even more luxury, refinement and sophistication. All in all, Diwan, by The Spirit of Dubai, is a fragrance that awakens the senses and releases deep emotions. Its complexity and sophistication make it a true olfactory treasure, perfect for those looking for a unique and memorable experience in the world of perfumery. I was really impacted by such complexity mixed harmonically in perfect balance, there is nothing chaotic here!

Diwan already impresses with a complex opening of a magnificent steaming incense crackling in the center of this arabesque environment, 'oud woody soft and sweet smoking red fruits, ornamented with satin roses, and seasoned by fresh and spicy spices, light bright aldehydes, with a very discreet animalic touch complete this scenario of the thousand and one nights. It also has some refreshing citrus and fresh green leaves blowing a brief freshness into its crevices. Making a perfect connection with a sumptuous heart of Taif rose with its citrus freshness, which is still accompanied by a whiff of a delicious and surprisingly aromatic coffee at the center of this composition, undeniably referring to its corresponding "predecessor", Majalis. An amber, which adds a warm depth, and always having a smoky background that gives mystery and sophistication. The fruity notes provide a juicy sweet fresh touch. The quality of the raw materials are excellent. What a delicious perfume!

This warm amber, with delicate powdery and earthy notes with a sophisticated iris, the bittersweet fruity rhubarb, a bouquet of floral notes transport to large hanging gardens against the blue sky and warmed by the hot breath of the Dubai desert, that breath of Arabic coffee meets the rich honey with incense that refers to a delicacy very common to the inhabitants of the Khalij (Gulf) forming a gourmet accord. The experience culminates in a deep base of an opulent and resinous Indian leathery oud slightly animalic, reinforced with another dose of a sacred frankincense with mystical myrrh, animalistic castoreum, and the smoky sweetness of a resinous benzoin exponentially increases the smoky incensed character of the fragrance. Noble woods with emphasis on creamy sandalwood, guaiac wood and cedar bring a balsamic woody resinous base. It also has soft musk, vanilla beans and tonka adding a discreet sweetness to this drying. Diwan fulfills very well the mission of representing an incandescent bakhoor with a mukhallat/blend of the best incense sticks in the world. Wonderful perfume! It performs great!

The opening is the best part of this fragrance. A soft creamy fruity scent, that quickly evolves in a boozy, slightly resinous way, which really reminds me of Overture Woman. Leather and a slight bit of woody oud enter, introducing a bit of smoky "oriental"-ness. I say "oud" but as opposed to Baz for example, the "oud" here is probably the cheaper alternative cypriol; very disappointing at this price point. Dries a bit powdery-floral, I don't get any of the animalic notes that are listed in the base. A bit femme for my taste, especially in the mid where the fruity notes are still lingering and the floral notes kick in. But a decent scent that someone who likes this sort of fruity-floral oriental style will enjoy. But I don't think this is worth more than ~$250, nowhere near the crazy retail pricing.

See my Baz review for my thoughts on this line in general.

For each of these fragrances I review, I'm going to provide a notes listing of the notes I actually perceive in the fragrance, since the actual note pyramid is less than useless:

Top notes:
Turkish rose, apple, raspberry, peach, plum

Heart notes:
Geranium, iris, cypriol

Base notes:
Sandalwood, myrrh, musk, tonka bean

First of all, it must be said that the fragrance pyramid does justice to that of Cheops. Naturally, I was all the more curious to test this scent and was quite excited to see what kind of treasure it would be.

At first, I only smell wood and smoke; everything that should be in the top notes completely eludes my nose.
A bit of rose with sheep cheese and honey makes a brief appearance until amber, together with the aldehydes, forms an unfortunate combination that slightly stings my nose.
Why create a perfume with so many fragrance components when in the end, all that comes out is wood and smoke? The slight sheep cheese note is probably the infamous oud.
So, grilled sheep cheese by the campfire, that describes it for me.
Later on, it becomes a bit more pleasant and indeed somewhat sweet. Perhaps the honey is finding its way through the oud.
I refrain from giving a rating, as this artwork unfortunately does not reveal itself to me, but maybe my nose just needs a bit more training.

However, the bottle is magnificent; I have rated that.

For breakfast, the forester always makes himself a slice of dark bread with red berry jam.
Then he gets to work. He leaves his cabin in the woods, passes by the hollow where all sorts of forest creatures gather at night, and from there he spends the entire day in the forest.
At noon, he takes a break. He passes by a farm. The farmer has a beehive. He stores the harvested honeycombs in a large wooden barrel. The forester loves the scent of honey, and as he has done many times before, he leans over the barrel to take a deep whiff of the honeycombs. But this time, he loses his balance. He falls forward, and his arms are covered in honey. There’s no time to change. From now on, he spends the rest of the day covered in honey in the woods. Until late evening.

A truly wonderful scent!
In the top notes, I mainly get red and tart berries and slightly animalic notes. Additionally, incense comes in relatively quickly.
The animalic notes fade quite fast, and the oud becomes woody and warm.
After a while, a honey note becomes increasingly prominent. After about four to five hours, the development comes to an end. It leaves behind a dreamy woodiness and sweet-resinous honey.

A beautiful scent with great longevity and sillage! Unfortunately, it is of course very expensive.