Durra The Spirit of Dubai 2017

Durra is a big surprise for me within the 2nd Generation. Practically no one knows it, no one talks about the scent, but it has such a unique character that it actually deserves much more attention.

Durra takes you on a precious journey along a maritime coast, where the ocean meets dense forests and exotic markets. A symphony of aquatic accords and intense spices.

Let's get into it:

- In the opening, the fragrance begins with a fresh punch of almost iodine-like marine notes, airy ozone, and salty accords give the opening this maritime soul from the start. This aquatic feeling is accompanied by subtle pepper and warm nutmeg. The fruity accords are embedded, but not individually detectable. However, they provide a certain sweet fruitiness to the fragrance.

- After a few minutes, the scent transports you deep into a forest, the oud comes into play with a beautiful animalic touch, along with cedarwood which adds a lovely woodiness, and the olibanum with its smoky character creates a luxurious touch. Here, the fragrance can become a bit challenging for many.... but only briefly, as a beautiful subtle honey note emerges, mingling with the incense and providing contrast to the dark woodiness. Gradually, a certain balsamic vein rises, before slightly floral aspects come into play.

- In the drydown, the civet and oud elevate the animalic aspect slightly, while the amber and praline, despite their resinous and sweet nature, have little effect, as the animalic still dominates for a long time. Only later does a gentle tobacco come in, along with a bit of tonka bean and vanilla, which begin to tame this animalic quality.

A truly complex fragrance, and the individual notes are really hard to discern; I had to concentrate very hard for a long time. Nevertheless, the scent feels harmonious when you understand the idea behind it. Yes, it is a play of oceanic/maritime and woody-animalic-sweet accords, and at times the dance partners meet until the drydown, as the maritime aspect temporarily disappears but then rises again.

The performance is truly powerful; the scent lasts long and projects strongly, like many of the SoD.

A really great fragrance that executes this oceanic concept extremely well and creates a truly opulent aura. However, one must definitely be ready for this complexity.