JonasP1

In the breath of the roaring sea
Smoking waves glide
Past dark-crusty Oud coasts
Amber dust is blown away
Laying down like a veil
Around glowing-resinous amber
Spiced enveloped
Beats your Sultan Gris heart
Sheltered by sandalwood tonalities...

Ahom World is a brand from the United Arab Emirates co-founded by Zakir Laskar. Zakir Laskar, or Zak for short, is also the co-founder of the perfume brand Dixit & Zak. Originally, Zak wanted to use the rare materials of Ahom World in modern perfumery, namely at Dixit & Zak. However, after discussions with financial advisors and auditors from Dixit & Zak, this was discouraged, as the expensive investments could negatively affect the return on capital and profitability, and could also complicate the collaboration between Nitish Dixit and Zakir Laskar. He then refocused on Ahom World, where he continues to create fragrances with rare raw materials, including Sultan Gris.

Sultan Gris is understood as a tribute to the late Sultan Qaboos. Here, aged amber dust has been used, which wraps around the many umbra-colored spices (over 30 different ones were used) like a gentle spiral of smoke.
First and foremost, apart from amber and a musky note, I perceive a hint of cardamom, which lingers in a bowl of fine vintage Mysore sandalwood. The ouds quickly come into play, perfectly integrating into the rest. The Burmese vintage oud and the Indian oud do not appear too animalistic here; rather, they bring a dark woody-spicy, slightly leathery overall impression, so that the fragrance, despite its complexity, does not overwhelm or become unpleasantly barn-like right away.
Onycha slightly dims the woody-smoky timbre and creates a resinous, sheltered atmosphere of warm, roasted shellfish with a balsamic finish. The gently sweet saffron also fits very well into the composition, even opening up an airy-fresh facet.
The seaweed, which would naturally fit well into the slightly maritime theme, is only to be understood here as an ephemeral appearance; it brings only a minimal salty note, which could also have its origin in the amber.

What remains: Glowing amber resins in the echo of spicy oud spheres, salty-smoky air hovering over a sea of archaic amber dust... Escape: Futile!

In summary, Sultan Gris is an improbably beautiful and special creation, where the quality, depth, and sublimity immediately captivate. The dark-spicy brew convinces me especially through its beautiful, complex interplay of the many well-measured spices, the two ouds, and of course the uncompromising use of vintage materials.

For those interested, here is a video of Zak mixing Sultan Gris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhQ6suQxLuA

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Darkness spreads
Only street lamps flicker wearily
Deathly silence in the small town
The bandit sneaks away quietly
Into deserted green-mossy valleys
It is cold
His leather cloak warms
Dark clouds gather
Gentle neroli rain
Pattering on his narrow face
Galbanum walls the quiet fear within him
With fear in the back of his mind, he continues
Cool earth swirls around him
Past forests and lakes
The moss-covered lake breathes tuberoses
Slowly the mist rises
Becomes one with nature
A long day lies behind the bandit
He has been on his feet for over 10 hours
His steps are heavy, but soundless
Not an everyday occurrence even for a bandit
Suddenly he hears noises
The oak moss offers protection
The sounds fade away
Just imagination?
Doesn't matter!
The strength of the bandit wanes
He spends the night in the oak moss
Dreams of further adventures...

Bandit (2012) by Robert Piguet is a very beautiful and classic chypre fragrance with a leathery touch. It leans towards a rather green direction and brings a, as I find, very subtle and pleasant animalic note. I usually do not like the tuberose present in the fragrance, but here it has been incorporated very pleasantly and discreetly. For me, Bandit (2012) is a very special chypre fragrance, thanks also to the leather and the well-measured oak moss.



The first edition of Bandit is from 1944 and it was one of the first fragrances from this house. The version from 1944 is unfortunately now only expensive and hard to find. After a reissued Eau de Toilette from 1999 did not receive a particularly good reception, this version of Bandit was launched in 2012 and became a great success again, said to be relatively close to the original version. Unfortunately, Bandit (2012) was also discontinued some time ago.

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My last visit was a long time ago
So I set off
Into the eucalyptus forest
The path leads through earthy trails
Wildflowers flourish at the edge of the forest
As colorful as the diversity of the woods
Gently, rain drips on my skin
Finally arrived!
A long journey lies behind me
My feet ache
But the lookout is not far
Slowly, I climb the moss-covered ladder
Always carrying the herbal schnapps
My gaze falls on the endless meadows
Dark green merges with light green
I watch the mushrooms grow
The wind smells of eucalyptus
A place that invites you to linger

Olympic Rainforest by Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes is a very authentic forest scent. The fragrance starts with a hint of bitter medicine, paired with cedar. The quite pleasant note of mushrooms stretches throughout the entire experience, but it is never really dominant. After about two hours, the medicinal-fresh notes recede into the background and the earthy-woody notes increasingly come to the forefront. Only a slightly sweet, lacquer-like note bothers me minimally. However, this disappears after a very short time. I believe that the more often you wear Olympic Rainforest, the more you will like it. This fragrance is definitely a wonderful nature experience.

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