A fragrance that is only really suitable for colder weather, I always forget quite how astonishing this is.

First off, it's birch tar smokey. As in mega smokey, and at the same time brine-laden. It is such an intense blast that the first time wearing this, my immediate reaction was to recoil. On subsequent wearings I became innured to it and now just think, "That smells astonishing."

Gradually, a sweetness starts feeding through, which feels medicinal, almost jammy. This, I suppose is the opium scent, which I have smelt once, many years ago but can no longer recall if this is an accurate representation or not. The Smoke transforms to tea, lapsong sushong, with its meaty, earthy notes. There's a whiff of whisky, something floral then eventually it settles to deep, incense-laden woods. The smoke lingers, with varying intensity, from beginning to end.

There's not many perfumes I would class as an outright masterpiece, but this is one of them. It's extremely polarising (my partner loathes the smell as much as I love it) and there are a limited number of situations in which I'd dare to wear this. Nonetheless, if I had to whittle my collection down to three fragrances, this would be one of them: it's an outright love.