Berlin Soul

Berlin Soul announces itself with the peculiar warmth of roasted hazelnuts married to whisky's sharp bite—a pairing that immediately signals this isn't a traditional fragrance. The top notes smell like you've wandered into a wood-panelled library where someone's been nursing a drink and smoking contemplatively by the window. What unfolds is deliberately complex: tobacco leaf enters with a slightly peppery rasp, whilst cedarwood and sandalwood create a creamy, almost textured backdrop. The oud arrives not as the typically animalic projection many expect, but rather as a subtle darkening agent that deepens the woody accord without overwhelming it. Vetiver adds a mineral, almost dirt-like grounding, whilst iris—that often-powdery note—becomes something unexpected here: dusty, slightly iridescent, playing against the leather-like qualities of the tobacco.

The base is where Berlin Soul reveals its true character. Patchouli and musk provide a skin-scent intimacy that prevents the fragrance from ever becoming showy, whilst tonka bean softens everything with a delicate almond nougat sweetness that shouldn't work but does. Amber wraps around it all like expensive upholstery.