Aaron Terence Hughes
Aaron Terence Hughes
91 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The cherry liqueur and sour cherry hit immediately with a bright-yet-funky intensity, sharpened almost uncomfortably by lemon zest and mandarin—this feels more like biting into fermented fruit than conventional cherry sweetness. Within minutes, the citrus begins its retreat, but that tart cherry character lingers with an almost acidic defiance.
The chocolate and tonka bean emerge gradually, softening the cherry's edges into something honeyed and luxurious without erasing its complexity. The woody notes begin their ascent here, and you'll notice the fragrance acquiring a subtle peppery warmth from the nutmeg as it settles into your skin, the rose contributing a faint dusted quality that prevents cloying.
The Thai oud and woody notes dominate now, lending the amaretto and vanilla a deeper, almost tobacco-like warmth rather than straightforward sweetness. What remains is contemplative and mineral-tinged, the cherry now a distant memory serving as a tonal foundation rather than a character trait, with nutmeg and rose dust lingering like incense.
Raw Cherry arrives as a sophisticated cherry cordial wrapped in dark velvet. This is fruit without innocence—the opening salvo of sour cherry and cherry liqueur creates an almost fermented intensity, sharpened by lemon and mandarin orange that prevent the composition from tipping into jammy excess. What distinguishes Raw Cherry is its refusal to remain purely fruity. The heart immediately pivots towards a darkened gourmand territory where dark chocolate and tonka bean converge, creating a honeyed richness that echoes the wine-like quality of the cherry opening.
The woody accords threading through the composition—bolstered significantly by that Thai oud in the base—ground what could have become saccharine into something with genuine depth and mineral backbone. There's a spiced complexity here too; nutmeg enters unobtrusively but decisively, adding warmth and a faint peppery edge that creates friction against the sweetness. The Turkish Damask rose, meanwhile, contributes a slight powdery-floral dryness that prevents the amaretto and vanilla from cloying.
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3.8/5 (91)