The Best Fragrances of 2023

2023 is rapidly coming to a close and my appetite is sated. Intently looking out towards all the new and exciting possibilities on the horizon, this is also marked with a clear sense of reinvigoration ... and aromatic is the word. Like all good and enduring things, the year was filled with a personal rediscovery of our range – the timeless proving their timelessness – as forgotten favourites returned to the fore.

This is the theme of this post: a celebration of favourites whether they are old or new – because what is good must always and eternally be interesting, no matter what.

New Fragrances and Discoveries for 2023

I begin by leaning into Castle Forbes. This ultra-traditional and steady brand of gentleman's fragrances represent a distinctive yet familiar set of comforts: aromatic colognes, warm ambers, sizzling citruses - all the hallmarks of a traditional masculine style make an appearance. Understated yet brilliant, highest praise goes out to Forbes of Forbes, which achieves a retro sensation with a sophisticated amber base enriched with mellow vanilla and tonka bean. All of this supports a pervading tobacco note, more malty than smoky, and it feels like a gentle and effective hug. It warms from the inside out, and its remarkable texture has left me with a memorable and comforting impression.

Bois Imperial from Essential Parfums is the absolute standout of the year, which captures the essence of the woods category. A melange of woody and herbal notes becomes a potent fluid at the perfect point of adequacy, thereby able to offer everything without falling into the superfluous. From a technical perspective, it is faultless. Cedar, patchouli, and vetiver impressions are abstracted, forming a single vertical line as if painted in a dark black ink. And yet, this ink shimmers and sparkles - it is at once solid yet translucent, the near-impenetrability of its black colour hosts Thai basil, pepper, and even floral overtones. This fragrance sings and charms, and instils in me a confidence in artistic forms of perfumery that exceeds mere representation, going beyond nature, thanks to synthetics.

We're thrilled to offer a concentrated range of Bruno Fazzolari's fragrances, which is the culmination of intense creativity and considered effort - charged with the necessary force of passion. I adore every fragrance from FZOTIC: without fail, Ummagumma continues to speak to my heart - its intense dose of tobacco, tonka bean absolute, cacao, incense, and labdanum is the sticky fragrance of my dreams without falling into an oppressive or obstructive texture. It is positively dizzying and hedonistic. Feu Secret, in contrast, speaks to the brain. It is artistic contradiction, exploiting hot and cold effects thanks to the innate paradox that is iris root (orris). Feu Secret is a fire made not from wood, but roots, which is a fantasy of cool flames and clean smoke - the quiet scent of an aged and languorous earth. Mesmerising.

Our biggest project this year was Zoologist, an immense range dedicated to the art of olfactory storytelling. Creatures and critters, from the winged, hooved, furred, and the barbed becomes figures for tales told in scent. There are many favourites, from Bee, Squid, and T-Rex, but Dodo (Jackfruit Edition) was a surprise. A yellow-tinged tropical burst begins: this juxtaposition of outrageous fruit with a sober fougere base wins me over. It is properly serious, composed in a most traditional manner that almost risks the cliché, with a generosity of lavender, geranium, orange blossom, and white musks - and yet all of this is nakedly illuminated in sunlight. This creature dashes through a dusty and warm earth strewn with flowers, exotic fruits, and herbs. I look more closely and find tonka bean, its earthy and hay-like freshness the conduit between fruit and fougere - and it wins me over every time.

Rediscovering Forgotten Favourites

Taste tends to do everything it can to keep itself from being bored - which makes rediscovery all the more satisfying.

Oud perfumes have never spoken to me in any significant way, which have always seemed to work against my character more than anything else. In this sense, I gloss over them, which never do them justice as they need time to develop on the skin. My experience with Heeley's Agarwoud was that of a trial and tribulation - its reserved and quiet nature underplayed its character, whilst the emblematic force of its oud always drew me away. How wrong I was!

The question of oud is a question of presentation: Heeley's unmistakable form does justice to the oud note, operating on the premise of negative space - in which a generosity surrounds the namesake note. Oud is unshakably the subject of this fragrance, as adornment occurs in its negative space. Heeley is respectful perfumery. This is an oud that features only the essentials. It pays attention to architectural form, guided first and foremost by the natural structure of the note. Its drydown is long and appealing.

Etat Libre d'Orange is a bona fide feature of the range, and I've been enjoying Jasmin et Cigarette on and off for a solid decade. Rediscovering this fragrance is like reuniting with a best friend - no matter how much time has passed, it's like you've never missed a beat. Its memorable personality - defined by its technical and aesthetic contrasts continues to enchant. The purest jasmine, tinged with apricot, encounters a delectably profane tobacco note. After a brief moment of hesitation, it is clear: these notes belong together.

Finally - I dive deep into the catalogue and find Duro (Nasomatto), which, after some time, I perceive with a refreshed perspective. The hard and often brutal maximalism of Alessandro Gualtieri occasionally overshadows a technical genius unafraid of overdose, producing new aesthetic results in consequence. Duro celebrates the power of the smooth yet bold cashmeran molecule, intensely dosed at ~25% and shaded with coarse cedarwood and supple-powdery musk aromatics. Cashmeran is unmistakably a wood note, a bit of everything but nothing exclusively - the density of sandalwood, the darkness of oud, the sensual curve of cedar - it has an incredibly soft feeling with balsamic qualities, all of this helped along the way with touches of incense and labdanum. Power, yes, but amongst this - surprising softness.