Single Malt

Kilian Single Malt opens with a very moderate projection of plum and some woods. The plum note is very sweet, slightly boozy although the fragrance contains no boozy notes, very aromatic and evocative of the actual fruit. The wheat creates an aromatic and support note, slightly nutty, dry, and fresh. As the fragrance dries down, the cedar tone is more prominent, clean, and fresh wood; The vanilla and tolu balsam create an aromatic gourmand and ambery note respectively which enhances the plum note making it feel gourmand. Once Kilian Single Malt has reached its full dry-down, it can be summarized as a moderate projection, sweet gourmand, plum fragrance with vanilla, tolu balsam, and wheat accords. The fragrance feels comforting, delectable, fruity, inviting, mature, mild, resinous, rich, syrupy, unisex, warm, woody, and very pleasant. BATCH REVIEWED: 2020 WOW RATING: 9/10. Kilian Single Malt is a delicious fragrance. DISLIKE RATING: 1/10. The notes are well blended, inoffensive. Someone could find the sweet somehow offensive but it is unlikely. UNIQUENESS: 7/10. The market has produced many gourmand fragrances. This is one of them. MASS APPEAL: 9/10. Most people will find this fragrance very appealing. PROJECTION: 4/10. Moderate, about 4 feet around the wearer. SILLAGE: 5/10. Moderate, about 5 feet behind the wearer. APPLICATION: 3 atomizations will suffice. LONGEVITY: 5/10. About 5 hours with 2 of good projection. SEASONS: Winter, fall, colder nights, or climate-controlled environments. OCCASIONS: Formal events, outdoor gatherings, office, casual, holidays, romantic, dating, clubbing. In moderation, this is an office-friendly fragrance. VERSATILITY: 6/10. Not the most versatile fragrance because of its gourmand nature, but highly versatile to be a gourmand fragrance. GENDER: Unisex. AGES: Any. RECOMMENDATION: Kilian Single Malt can be found for over $300. The market provides similar and ever better alternatives for a lower cost. Not recommended. BLIND-BUY: No, sample it first. SIMILAR: These are examples of gourmand fragrances, some combine tobacco or boozy notes. Dior Feve Delicieuse by Christian Dior – La Collection Privé is one of the best gourmands/boozy fragrances in the market, pricy but good; Dua Fragrances Beauteous Delight is the clone of Feve Deliciouse, very similar but with stronger citrus notes and great longevity; Feve Delicieuse is a fantastic gourmand fragrance featuring cacao, milk, and other notes; Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a great boozy, and vanilla fragrance; Kilian Black Phantom EDP features delicious coffee, rum, caramel, and dark chocolate; Montale Chocolate Greedy bring cacao, vanilla, and tonka, but lacks performance; Nishane Fan Your Flames features woody, sweet, coconut, and rum notes, and it is very good; Paco Rabanne Black XS By Paco Rabanne is a gourmand fragrance that features praline and it feels chocolaty; Parfums De Marly Oajan EDP is slightly boozy, sweet and spicy; Thierry Mugler - A*Men Angel Men Pure Tonka is another great gourmand fragrance featuring coffee, cacao, and other delectable notes; Tiziana Terenzi Al Contrario is an exquisite malt, woods, cacao, and sugar cane gourmand fragrance; Tom Ford Noir De Noir is more floral and more chocolaty; Tom Ford Noir Extreme EDP is a sweet, dessert-like, floral fragrance but slightly tilted to the feminine side. SUMMARY: A moderate projection, sweet gourmand, plum fragrance with vanilla, tolu balsam, and wheat accords. The fragrance feels comforting, delectable, fruity, inviting, mature, mild, resinous, rich, syrupy, unisex, warm, woody, and very pleasant.

The opening here is interesting and tricky. I'd swear it has citrus in it, but if not, it's the way the plum plays with the wheat 🌾. The plum here is unique and special. Most other plums I've smelled in perfumery are ripe or overripe. But this plum here is just barely ripe, perhaps even slightly under ripe, and sprinkled delicately with sugar. The perfume is subtle, especially compared to modern Kilian boozy fragrances like apple brandy or angels share. Those perfumes show you all their cards right away, bludgeoning you with booze and everything they've got immediately. Single Malt takes it's time and transitions slowly and deliberately. It's very clever perfumery. The booze and other notes are never heavy or cloying. This is one of the most chill and subtle boozy fragrances I've ever encountered. It's got backbone, but is light enough to be worn in moderate temperatures. Performance is not "beast mode", this is more elegant, and is about elegance over raw horsepower. Longevity is good, sillage is good, projection is moderate. Very classy perfumery and could be worn by those that are leery about boozy fragrances, but are looking for something in this genre or or are looking to get into this category. This is not a monster like Angel Share, and I don't think it was meant to be. This is class and elegance over brut force. Scent 8/10 Performance 5.5/10

By Kilian’s Single Malt is a fragrance that truly lives up to its name—rich, warm, and intoxicating in the best way. It opens with a smooth, boozy malt whiskey note that immediately sets a luxurious tone, evoking the image of aged spirits resting in oak barrels. That wooden, slightly smoky undertone gives it depth and character, making it feel like a scent with a story. The plum note adds a subtle sweetness, never overpowering, just enough to round out the edges and keep it from becoming too dry or austere. It’s this balance that makes Single Malt so wearable and inviting. The projection is confident without being aggressive, and the longevity is impressive—lingering for hours without fading into something generic. What makes this fragrance stand out is its versatility. It’s refined enough for formal occasions, yet comforting enough for everyday wear. It doesn’t scream for attention, but it definitely leaves an impression. It’s the kind of scent that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together—polished, composed, and quietly powerful. It’s a shame it’s been discontinued, as it’s become a rare gem on the aftermarket. But for those lucky enough to own a bottle, it’s a signature scent that whispers sophistication and indulgence. A true 10 out of 10.

Single Malt by By Kilian accomplishes excellently the balance between sweet and boozy, evoking just enough syrupy, honeyish sweetness simultaneously with aspects of whiskey and scotch. I'm not even an aficionado of scotch or whiskey, but much like coffee before I drank it, I enjoy their aromas and notes, and they come through in Single Malt. Projection is certainly strong for several hours in but beyond that it's not a beast all day / all night. It reminds me of Herod by Parfums de Marly in its pure sweetness most of all, actually, despite the notion that Herod is linked to tobacco and Single Malt is linked to booze; the type of sweetness strikes me as similar. Single Malt is the only By Kilian I've given much consideration to buying, as I've usually found that their fragrances are more comparably done elsewhere (Intoxicated is replicated in the A*Men line, Back to Black is not quite as good as other sweet tobaccos like Herod or TV) but in this case, I find Single Malt unique enough to merit real consideration at its considerable ($295 for 50ml) price point. Peculiarly, it's an exclusive to the London boutique but seems available online all the same (unlike the Le Labo, Tom Ford exclusives). 9 out of 10

Wow! Just WOW!! And did I mention.... WOW!!! I will start by admitting that I am typically drawn to whiskey / woody / tobacco type scents. So this one is right up my alley. It has been awhile since I looked at this house and it was time to explore and rediscover some of their scents. Last weekend I stopped in the a Saks store and obtained some samples to try out. So far this has been the shining star. SM is a very classy, elegant and sexy fragrance. It does capture the essence of a good single malt scotch. I regularly attend whiskey tasting in my area and enjoy sampling a variety of single malts. One of the things I enjoy doing is to hold the whiskey glass under my nose and breath in through my mouth. That pulls all of the flavors of the drink into my nose. The scent I get from this fragrance very much reminds me of some of the single malt whiskies I have sampled over the years. I get great projection and longevity on my skin. Throughout the day I kept getting delicious whiffs. I can see this one in either casual or dress clothes. Bottom line: If you like whiskey / malt scents, you need to try this one. If you like this scent, try a whiskey tasting.