Fischersund No. 23

I wander through the mist of a darkening harbor, listening to the soft urgency of the gray sea, admiring the warm glowing the emanates from windows on cottages. The smell of cold smoke, smoldering herbs, mingling with brine of ocean water and the detritus along the docks, makes me think of the animistic representation of nature, where all elements embody a spirit, minerals shine with their own souls, and the atmosphere is as alive as anything with a heartbeat. There is a darkness that is profound—it at first may feel bleak, but its starkness is an outer layer that, once penetrated, gives the fruit of truth. Sometimes when we are alone, all is quiet, and there is little that can barge into our peace, the answers present themselves. No. 23 evokes many things that have brought me joy: salted licorice (the kind with ammonium chloride); spruce tips tea; balsam fir incense cones; squishing vermillion red yew berries; the aroma of freshly laid tar asphalt; allowing just a little of the biting cold inside through a cracked window, to smell and taste it; rain water meeting dry ash. It is a retreat for my mind, escorting me to my imagination, allowing me to consider a place entirely tailored for me, every corner, every sound, and every smell. This harbor, a refuge by a warm fire, allowing me to let go of all my ego's concerns. A restful time to put thoughts into words, take uninterrupted naps, listen to the sea, and let go of any pressure to feel purposeful. What a conduit for letting go. Ahh, the grit of it all, and how magical it smells.

Randomly came across this fragrance on the shelves of a coffee shop/stationery store of all places. I was intrigued by the simple utilitarian packaging of being wrapped in a bandana. I sprayed the store's tester on my arm, grabbed my latte, and went for a smoke break a few blocks away. In between sips of coffee and carcinogenic smoke inhalation, I kept holding up my wrist to my nose. No. 23 is such a beguiling scent-- I was obsessed. It reminds me of a parking lot at dusk in rural Southern California: cars idling beneath the trees, exhaust pipes emitting fumes that layer with the damp and mist of a marine layer morning. It has a sort of industrial characteristic that I can't get enough of. Another image that comes to my mind is the album cover of Bocanada by Gustavo Cerati. Great statement fragrance for the cold seasons, especially on a breezy and brisk night that requires you to pick up a light scarf on your way out the door-- hell, why not the artful bandana they used to wrap the fragrance in?

No.23 by Fischersund is one of the most unique fragrances I've ever tried, and most importantly, it smells sensational. Upon first sniff, I am taken to the cold and rainy coast of my home state Oregon. The seaweed and marine notes are prevelant, but are backed by lush pine that gives an almost petrichoric scent profile. As the scent lingers, tobacco, leather, and tar notes enter the picture. I've always described the dry down of this fragrance as smoking a cigar on the oregon coast in winter. While this scent is quite strong, it layers really well with the rest of my collection. I like to wear it with Macaque Yuzu Edition to bring in citrus and incence notes or Kalan to make it spicy. I strongly recomend No.23 to any collector looking for something unique and dark. Smell: 10 Longevity: 8 Versatility: 8 Uniqueness: 10 Value: 7 Layering compatibility: 9 Overall: 8.7

This is a truly breathtaking and evocative atmospheric fragrance. I have yet to visit Iceland, but No. 23 successfully transports me there via scent alone. It smells like standing at the water as a bracing, blustery wind whips across the fjords. The scent of tar rises up from workers repairing their boats at the docks, sparkling bergamot captures the brightness of the crisp air, a whiff of licorice in a child's sticky hand rises up and finds its way to your nose, seaweed and ambergris add unique aquatic depth, and the coniferous trees nearby lend sweet and prickly whispers of scent to this gorgeous olfactory bouquet. 10/10. I could see myself wearing this in any type of weather or season and look forward to doing so!

This is where it all started, for me. I was in Iceland with my wife and sprayed this fragrance in a local tourist shop. Even though I was surprised by the exceptionally particularity of the scent, which was a mix of black pepper and herbs, I thought it would evaporate quickly as all fragrances did (which was my impression at the time). Lo en behold, the next day I was surprised by a still very notable scent emanating from my wrist. I was convinced and started delving into the wonderful world of fragrance. Fischersund, thank you so much for opening my eyes (and nose) to fragrance. I still enjoy it regularly to this day, especially when winter starts. Highly recommended.

Fischersund. No. 23. This puts me in Full Icelandic God mode. Smoke. Tar. Strong evergreen. Earthy. Pungent. So good. Can find it 12+ hours but decent projection 8+ hours. One of the best fragrances I’ve enjoyed in the last couple years. Have not expected others to enjoy it, but they do. Haven’t yet worn it to the office and I wouldn’t pick it for a wedding as it is bold, but in every other setting, it is fantastic. Shines in winter but I’ve worn it well into Spring. May become a 3 season fragrance for me. It is quite addictive. I also enjoy No. 54, but find this more wearable and more pleasant. 54 brings a true funk.

My favorite brand finally on Fragrantica! I discovered this small brand while on a roadtrip in Iceland. Visiting their small Reykjavík shop with a nordic witchy vibe is huge part of the experience and one of the reasons I fell in love with the brand. 23 is their bestseller and I absolutely love smelling it on myself and my husband, too. It is very special and captures Iceland so well. To me, this gives the vibe of a walk by a nordic harbor, but also somehow forest and it is a very cold smell. It is really hard to describe, but it reminds me of Iceland so much and I absolutely adore it.

I discovered Fishersund randomly while walking around Reykjavik. And I immediately fell in love! ALL of their scents are incredible, complex (but not overly complicated!), strong (but do not cause headaches!), and last a long time. This one is my favorite. I am usually skeptical of marine and leathery scents as they can smell very strongly and too artificial. This is not the case! This smells like Reykjavik harbor, in the best possible meaning. It is very woody (the birch tar is beautiful here), and it smells like the smoke over northern sea, spicy, fresh and biting cold.

It's got that birch tar / dry ash / smoke thing goin' on, but does it with a light touch -- not trying to be a shock to the system, it's the subtlety that makes it evocative. Balanced really well with the smell of citrus, fresh spruce & fir tips, and black pepper. For me, the ambergris and/or the greater marine accord is the glue that holds it all together. The sillage is like a miniature mist of sea brine around me, sweetened by bergamot and freshly picked conifer buds. Absolutely perfect for this February rainy day on the West coast of British Columbia. ★★★★★

Its a realy very unique scent love the fact they use ingridients from iceland thats why is so different from all others fragrances. love it

Opens with a noticeable rubber facet, which comes from the birch tar being muddied in an artful way with the seaweed, black pepper, and aniseed facet. Both (BT and seaweed) are pretty strong and can particularly stand out on their own if not balanced right, but you also get a smoothed out fir, licorice, and smooth cypress that is perfectly balanced with the birch tar-seaweed combo. Having possession of rectified birch tar absolute, I can say that the BT here is artfully incorporated, but to my dismay, also short lived in the way it wanted to be at the opening. BT can have the faintest medicinal facet, and similarly to No 54, it sort of takes place of the ammonia/lacquer facet, which is why others (and myself) see these two as being very similar. Is it a redundant purchase? Possibly, but they are not the same, since the ambergris here makes the perfume present a “lived in” experience (not significantly dirty, but as a support), whereas No 54 is more “unnaturally clinically clean” w.r.t. the lacquer/ammonia facet being more prominent, but still retains a sweet licorice-like character, though a bit less prominent—here it’s slightly more detectable. There is a faint bergamot here, but I suspect it’s coming from the greens described earlier (fir) since it’s typically a top note. I don’t get a significant amount of tobacco here, it could just be tobacco leaf that accentuates the lived in facet to not be as animalistic as ambergris can potentially be. Overall similar to No 54 but slightly more licorice, green, and “not as clean,” if you’re avoiding the prominent lacquer/ammonia accords. Do I like this? Yes, it’s a well done perfume, but it presents itself a bit more green forward compared to No 54 and since I’m not particularly keen on green-forward frags (though, Golfjazz by DSDurga is an exception), despite the overall character being similar, I’ll have to pass on this one.

Checking out No.23 today, Fischersund’s inaugural and best-selling fragrance, inspired by Old Reykjavík (capital city of Iceland) and it carries a sense of nostalgia rooted in Jónsi’s memories of working alongside his father on the big ships of the old harbor. The scent tries to create the feeling of oil-stained hands, salty ocean air and the faint comforting aroma of pipe tobacco. The opening greets you with birch tar, smoky and slightly rubbery, with a very subtle aniseed-licorice note. Bergamot adds a touch of brightness that lifts the composition without being overly citrusy. After about fifteen minutes, the familiar Fischersund DNA emerges with cypress and fir blending with the tar, capturing the feeling of ships freshly coated in protective oils. Over the first hour the fragrance develops a smoky, spicy character reminiscent of a doing a burn out in a car in a forest, a distinctive signature of the brand. As it settles a salty ambergris note appears, unifying the scent. The ashy, leathery birch tar blends with earthy patchouli to complete the drydown, making it layered and long-lasting. No.23 is a memorable fragrance that adds a unique twist to Fischersund’s signature DNA. Among the three fragrances I have tried from the house, this one is probably my favorite. The opening with rubbery birch tar and a delicate hint of licorice carries Jónsi’s memories and shows why this fragrance resonates with so many.

I’ll be honest without the description I don’t know if I’d really envision this fragrance the same way over it being fischersunds most approachable fragrance in a sense where it feels genuinely wearable than an art piece that lives on your skin for a while. It’s probably the one I would consider purchasing out the 6 I’ve sampled. The opening is where the birch tar and “ocean” like elements is most prevalent before mellowing down into a spiced mellow fragrance. I hated black pepper for the longest time because one fragrance made me sick of it but wearing this made me appreciate it again. It also has a sweetness that’s pretty palpable but not syrupy or sugary, relatively balanced. The Ambroxan in this thankfully doesn’t smell like a bloated beach whale (fecal or gross). It makes the fragrance lived in. Longevity is relatively solid. I think this would be amazing in cooler weather around evenings. I really enjoy this, not sure if I’d commit to a full bottle, if I knew a more elegant variant of this profile I’d be pretty pleased

We opens with the DNA notes that seem to be a common them across all Fischersund fragrances, a dark smoky slightly burnt smell, like one of a long burnt out forest fire. This fades slightly after the first hour to allow for notes leather and an animalistic quality to peak through the smoke. I do wish there was a bit more (read: any) of the seaweed & licorice notes that are supposed to be present. NO.23 is strong in both longevity and projection, lasting around 8 hours in my skin and clothes; I would say a 7/10 overall score. It projects nicely as well, radiating close to the body but rising off the skin at the same time, for a 6/10. While a very nice fragrance, I think the Fischersund DNA is just a little too strong with this one, it’s dark and smoky but there isn’t much more to it unfortunately. I would give it a 6/10 overall.

i am not mind blown by this but it’s pretty! confied salted lemon, a dusting of sugar (sweetened patchouli), dialed down conifer pith, smoke and ash. only wish this had a bit more depth, which i expected from all of the fischersund line up looking at the notes list. at the end of the day, they all have the same slightly salty marine and slightly sweet base that i believe is supposed to be reminiscent of iceland but to me feels very polite and a bit of a miss conceptually, im much too 19th century romantic i believe...

I’ve also worn No. 23 a few times. There’s a small boutique store in my neighborhood that carries this brand, and every chance I get I wear a sample home. The scent feels 100% natural, leaning masculine but still unisex. The birch tar-resin is dominant—the rest of the notes dance around like a fairy in a forest.

Really like this olfactory ode to Old Rekjavik harbour, done in shades of birch tar, fir, cypress and seaweed. Having read the poem that goes with this fragrance, I am grateful that the perfumer confined himself to ambergris and did not attempt an 'exploding beached whale' accord.

This is very much a sibling to No.54, this one being the lighter of the two. A very fresh and green scent that has a hint of aquatics to it. Very unisex and ethereal. Would have liked to rate it higher but the performance is quite bad on me, turns into a skin scent within a couple of hours.

24 Dec 2025 (attempt no2 at writing this note) - very anise seed for start, and turns out I don't like that (though the website currently says liquorice, so not sure if my packaging is wrong, or if it's been updated since I got the sample) - more 'restaurant cooking with anise seed / liquorice' AND/OR cottage-core vibes than the 'similar' Fischersund scents MY FINAL decision: I'll be giving this away / gifting as I do not like the smell at all Same day, next reviewed Utilykt - https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Fischersund/Utilykt-Spray-660Nordjur-x-92633.html?ccid=2663975#focus-zone

No. 23 from Fischersund is a densely tarry and leathery scent, charred wood and peppery smoke, that dries in your hair like green, aromatic moss and balsamic fir needles and pine. It also makes me think of salty licorice and hangikjöt —but not candy and actual smoked meat, really. More like a bitter, herbal chewiness, and scorched and smoldering birch and juniper and the ghost of blistered proteins? It’s stygian, enigmatic, and bleak, and maybe this is what my doppelgänger who just climbed out of the Katla ash storms and trekked through the Jordskott forest smells like. (I realize with those references I’m mixing together both Icelandic and Swedish creeping horror —catastrophic supernatural volcanoes and prophecies about evil forests—but whatever!)