Fischersund No. 54

Opens ammonia forward, slowly turns into a sharp, short-lived fougère, and then into a new leatherlike smell supported by facets of patchouli, faint spices and sweetness--just enough to round all the notes together. A bit further, you now make out a clearly "new car" like leather, but it still has an ammonia tinge to it. This note might make hockey players' head turn on this frag, IYKYK :-). It's what gives it the "clean" impression, if you will, but with the clearly present, polished and cleaned tire rubber note that isn't overbearing but shares the space with the ammonia, and a neutral leather, this is nothing short of addicting. I actually prefer this presentation more over Scent Tattoo by The Zoo, if I'm feeling like I want to smell "not as musky." And yes, there is a musk that supports the cleanliness facet in this frag, but it's nicely tucked away in the back, only there to make the ammonia more approachable. Fortunately for me (and others, you know who you are), this profile is here to stay. It's somewhat kind of what I wished Black Tar (Parfumerie Particulière) would've smelled like from a rubber perspective. +1 * Leather, Rubber -> [75/100], -- I was hesitant to get a sample of this, even after glancing at the notes, but I gave it a chance at some point. This clearly was designed (not limited to) with junkies in mind, and despite being a rather unconventional approach to rubber/leather, it's clicked with me in the same regard as Leatherize by DS&Durga did. A dead-to-rights new, leathery car scent if you can manage the ammonia smell (in that, you're OK with a sweet+clean-leaning ammonia leaning profile), but hits the marks in so many other ways for me. Wholly FB worthy. Jón Þór Birgisson has overdelivered IMO, and this is why I love niche/indie perfumery--people actually care about envisioning a perfume to an exact science and art, that big corpos simply don't care about, but then again I don't consider myself "among the masses" either. I want to reiterate the rubber here isn't particularly notable--just a leather facet as described.

I’ve been a fan of alphairone’s reviews (see below me) for years and he is exactly right. I finally got around to wearing a decant sample from Portland’s Fumerie. No. 54 (assuming the smoky/earthy Fischersund DNA is what you’re leaning into) works here because it doesn’t fight the PNW clothing. The olive bomber brings that military surplus resinous green accord with its nylon shell, aged zipper teeth, a touch of machine oil. Fischersund’s atmospheric smoke, woods, and mineral edges read like the olfactory equivalent of that jacket after being worn near a bonfire on a cold Depoe Bay harbor night. The ochre Carhartts are where this gets interesting. That golden-brown workwear canvas introduces warmth and dusty dry earth, sawdust, oxidized metal, sun-faded utility fabric. A fragrance that’s too polished would look ridiculous here. No. 54’s roughness gives authenticity. It smells like weather rather than grooming. Danner black lace-up boots finish the story. Leather, mud, rubber sole, practical intent. Not sleek Chelsea boots. Not designer “workwear cosplay.” Actual stomp-around footwear. Fischersund thrives in that context because its eccentricity feels earned rather than curated. It says “I smell weird because I’ve been somewhere,” not “I smell weird because a perfumer told me to.”

The days are now growing longer, a cool rain just fell, there is still ice on the ground, and I walk through a path flanked by dark, sinewy pines, and enter through the door to a space where everything is in flux. Works in progress, images of craft in various stages of development. There is just the right amount of cool, metallic lustre in the air. An aroma of burning rubber produces a frisson throughout my body. The varnish of restoration suggests something renewed is on the horizon. And I cannot forget the glorious odor of needly, prickly turpentine. In No. 54, the ammonium chloride flavored salted licorice effect is even more prominent, and its sensation is that of enjoyed one too many Lakrisal pastilles—the ammonia flavor seems to levitate like a vapor in my mouth, all sour and salty. It is perfect captured here. This interacts with the smell of hot asphalt, as if detected from outside our imagined atelier, and what at first feels impasto thick eventually dissolves into a beautiful, restrained watercolor of sheer patchouli and soft leather. This is to be worn with an olive bomber jacket, ochre Carhartt utility pants, and Danner boots.

This is so good. The patchouli is prominent but pretty clean. With the musk there is an overall nice funk. A tar like element. Very masculine. Not huge projecting. Great personal bubble for 4-6 hours. About 8-9 hours total. Some pine. Some moss. Some forest floor. Very masculine. I feel very good wearing this. This is a very unique fragrance. For me, No. 23 is the better wearing of the two. A bit longer wearing with better silage. A bit less funky. No. 54 was my first of Fischersund and I wore it frequently. Now having owned 10ml decants of both I find myself reaching for No. 23 more often. I’m about out of the both and I think it’ll be full bottle purchases for both.

A masculine opening with notes of rubber, leather, and tar. After a little while, hints of earth, moss, and roots begin to emerge. As more time passes and the scent dries completely, notes of musk and grass linger. A man working in his workshop or garage. He’s finished his work, but then remembers he needs to tend to the garden. Once all his tasks are done, he can finally sit back and relax on the bench in the lawn. That’s the vibe. If I were to give just a general impression, I agree with the opinion that it’s a darker, heavier version of No. 23.