Birch Tar and Russian Leather

Matthew Meleg is a gifted perfumer and Birch Tar and Russian Leather is among his best works. This fragrance is reminiscent of great, rough vintage leather scents. It is strongly animalic with castoreum and civet both discernable within the leather accord. Smoke and a vaguely asphalt note from the liberally used birch tar in the composition adds a stern feel to the early stages of the progression, but eventually a nice, somewhat green rose and a Chanel-esque jasmine emerge to set the stage for a warm, sweet vanilla that rounds out the base and softens the later stages of this exceptionally blended fragrance. The net result is an excellent cuir de ruisse which is utterly unique but at odd moments during its progression still inspires reminiscences of vintage Kouros' leather base note, the bootblack and smoke elements of J-Scent's Black Leather and the beastly glory of Areej Le Dore's Cuir de Ruisse. But to be clear, this fragrance smells nothing like the foregoing scents when taken in its totality. As the perfumer himself acknowledges, this is very strong stuff. Projections longevity are significant. Careful spraying is a must or you will choke those around you. This fragrance is best suited for cooler weather. Like all naturally animalic scents, this fragrance will not appeal to every nose, so it is most likely not a viable office scent. I mostly use this fragrance for evenings at home when I can revel in the beauty of the components, the excellent execution and the gloriously animalic notes. Finding appropriate occasions for which to don this fragrance is pointless in a world of blue freshies where inoffensive mass appeal is the fashion. Instead, wear it when you want to surround yourself in glorious old-school rough leather tempered with just a hint of sweet vanilla goodness. I don't think this sort of scent is fittingly gendered--regardless of how you identify, if part of that identity includes a love of animalic leather scents, get you nose on this gem.

This fragrance is just what I wanted and needed, a very rough animalic-smokey leather with subtle florals and an elegant-cozy vanilla. As it develops the gorgeous madagascar vanilla gets bigger and bigger, making the experience sweeter and more comforting. The combination with the florals give it some subtlety and elegance, which balances perfectly with the rough birch tar and castoreum. It really does remind me of Russia and Canada at the same time, rough, cold and rural, but cozy and powerful. A true vintage cuir de russie. If I had to think of a personality it would be of a very charming but authoritarian person, elegant but when it needs to get its hands dirty it certainly does. Very masculine but it has a soft side, and its very kind to those close to him. I think of Tsar Nicholas II when he was in exile, specially because of the association between cuir de russie and russian army boots. Powerful, rural, charming(because of the sweetness), masculine, elegant(to me vanilla is a very elegant note and even more with the florals).

This is not nearly as dark or tannic as I would have expected based on the name. In fact I find it quite smooth and relaxed: a warm, animalic vanilla, with the texture of a malleable resin coated in finely-milled powder. I get a mild dirtiness here, like buttery amber smoke that slides along the back of your throat, coating the palate. It's supple, sensual, and smooth. It has a sort of louche refinement to it, like a handsome regent in a mood to lay about, moving from the chaise to the four-poster and back again, sitting a brief spell at the writing desk, but producing little of import. I'm reminded of Shalimar EDP after it dries down for an hour or two.

I am writing the same general review for my favorite Meleg perfumes - Civet Cat Chypre, Birch Tar and Russian Leather, Honey and Deer Musk, Madeline Peach, Oakmoss Forest Florals, and Mushin. I am very particular about perfume, and it is not often that I find something I really love. I expected to really like 1 out of the 10 samples of the sample set I received from Etsy, but there were 6! They are very special - unique, smooth, well blended, interesting, wearable, beautiful, and addictive! Nothing weird or harsh standing out, and nothing like I’ve smelled before out of the over 1000 perfumes I’ve encountered just in the last few years.

This was one of those where the sample had me clicking “buy” at first sniff. It’s the most gorgeous, enveloping cloud of sweet, warm, slightly spicy, animalic goodness. The leather and birch tar are pretty mild and mostly gone in the first hour and what’s left is the wonder of the castoreum melting into the skin. Absolute love! With four sprays from the sample, my nose was overwhelmed and I couldn’t really smell it. But I could feel that it was there- a cloud of warmth enveloped me all day and into the next. After 24 hours it had calmed enough that I could pick up whiffs from my skin and it continued that way for another 24 hours.

As per the listed Main accords above, this is definitely leathery, smoky, animalic, musky/woody and a bit floral. The castoreum and civet are there but nothing odd, over the top or in your face. This is just an excellent smelling and well blended fragrance for cooler weather. Lasts and projects very well and is unisex leaning a bit masculine IMO. Looking forward to trying more of Matt’s fragrances. 👍

Such a beautiful throwback. This is the first non IFRA fragrance I have been fortunate to wear and the use of these all natural ingredients is just magical. I have two full bottles if anyone is looking for a bottle to add to their collection !

Sweet, musky, leather. So simple yet impossible to translate. The ingredients feel natural and rich. I am wasting my time. You cannot understand Birch Tar and Russian Leather until you smell it. Buy the samples and support Meleg.

Love love love love this. Simple as that

I was so certain I would love this perfume, to the point I almost blind-bought it. But sadly, I do not, and yet I find such visceral beauty in it. I expected a birch tar leather akin to the refined restraint of Chanel’s Cuir de Russie, but instead became swept up in something far more hardcore. Picture the birch sap as it’s being rectified into tar, heating gradually until it’s past its point, becoming charred and almost barbecued. In the first couple of hours into the life of this scent, you are violently attacked by thick tendrils of dense smoke, the kind that clings to your clothes the day after sitting by a campfire, it’s borderline suffocating. I nearly abandoned testing it right there and then, but I persisted. If you can stomach two hours of unpleasantness, what you’ll find underneath is the most beautiful shadowy vanilla, creamy and velvety, and oh so Shalimar-esque. From a distance, it’s truly one of the loveliest vanillas I’ve ever encountered, but the smokiness of the birch tar renders it almost unwearable for me sadly.

Surprisingly, this smells a lot like you'd think it would. There's no way to really know what a thing will actually smell like, I'm usually very surprised by the reality of fragrances, but this one was fairly predictable. For the first couple hours, there's a soapy scent that I don't care for, but beneath that is a dark, smooth leather note mixed with some smoky woodiness. After the first few hours, the lighter notes rise to balance out the heavier notes, and the soapy quality recedes. The vanilla begins to distinguish itself and adds a really beautiful counterpoint to the heavier leather scent. There's also the slightest whisper of what comes across as plum to me. This is the point at which the fragrance comes alive and begs to be analyzed more closely. This is a good one. Much better than your typical leather fragrances. Update: This has grown on me more, and I've been wearing it a lot this winter. It's definitely perfect for dark, cold winter days.

Enjoying the naturals in this and I'm a fan of Matthews story. Glad he found his calling after struggling for so many years. This might grow on me. I love the birch tar and leather. Theres something (I think its the white florals) that give me a used urinal cake vibe. Once I made the connection, its hard to un-smell. Certain flowers have a similar musky vaguely urinal smell so I'm pretty sure thats the culprit. It seems to fade or blend into the other ingredients with time. I recommend sampling to decide for yourself. A homegrown Canadian perfumery house using naturals outside of IFRA regulations is a very good reason to give this brand a shot. Gorgeous bottles as well.

I like this one, only mildly smoky imho made me first think of an unburnt charcoal piece (that's quite unique, not smelled one that has made me think of that before) with a nice watery rose and sweet vanilla surrounding it. I don't get many animalic aspects from it, and only find it a touch leathery. I do get a little bit of the jasmine which I think might be hinting at Cuir de Russie without actually going there. Then the rose mixed with the other stuff is kind of fruity almost raspberry like than fully floral. There's something that feels synthetic in this on me which knocks a few points off. Interesting one, it's one I think I'd want a decant of than a bottle.

Preposterously a skin scent. Matthew also sent me the water based version instead the alcohol based bottle that I purchased directly on his website. Either sent it on purpose cause he ran out of the alcohol version or made a mistake, as he is very caught up in his own mind I felt during my email communication with him discussing shipping to EU from Canada. Either reason is enough to write this house off. You need to put your nose on skin on clothes to detect that you actually put perfume. A huge let down and a total dismiss going forward.

This smells like a dentist's office. Every time I test this one out, I am immediately transported to being in a dental chair, the hygienist has just attached the bib around my neck and I'm waiting to be seen by the dentist. This fragrance smells both sterile and medicinal to me. I definitely sense the birch tar, but rather than emulating the smell of leather, it instead gives off a plastic-y note. Think less leather and more vinyl or pleather. The sweetness is also on the verge of cloying, almost headache inducing. The longevity, however, is STELLAR. Fragrances never last on my dry skin and this has lasted for almost 2 days. Even when I showered, I could still smell it. It's not terrible, it's just not for me. I literally cannot shake the imagery of a dentist office out of my head every time I give it a sniff, it's THAT photorealistic.

[Birch Tar & Russian Leather No.25] ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ WAXY - AMBER - BEAUTIFUL Nothing trumps the personal touches provided by indie perfumers. When my bottle of Russian Leather arrived, it came alongside a personal letter to thank me for my custom. The box was also decorated and finished with a wax seal. Beyond the box is the bottle. A contemporary design with a label that hearkens back to the classical perfumery that inspired Meleg Perfumes. Inside the bottle is the most wonderful experience money can buy. Russian Leather opens with a fizzy candied orange with what I think is violet and rose. A smoky tone soon creeps in and leathery castoreum makes itself known. The leathery faucets in No.25 are not rough like a modern interpretation of leather. This is a Cuir De Russie through and through. It isn’t a hard biker with an affinity for speed and studded jackets. This however, is warm and welcoming like your favourite suede jacket you’ve owned for many years, containing the memories of a lifetime. Matthew Meleg and Meleg Perfumes are to be taken seriously. The years Matthew has spent with his head between the pages of Victorian Apothecary and classical perfumery make his Birch Tar & Russian Leather ooze authenticity. As I discover more from the brand, I’m sure this theme will continue. I highly encourage you to give this brand the chance it deserves. Matthew has just made his 2ml samples sets available on the Meleg Perfumes Etsy Store so now there’s all the more reason to check them out.

I received this fragrance in Matthew’s sample set. I echo the comments of the other reviewers. I’m not familiar with Chanel Cuir de Russie or others. I used up a decant of Knize Ten las winter, and this is a different kind of leather. The leather accord in this fragrance reminds me of the leather accord in an 80’s vintage bottle of Shalimar PDT which I purchased. The top notes have faded in the bottle, and it leads with a leather very similar to this, before the civet appears. I know that Matthew is as authentic and genuine as anyone in the business, and believe that this is how a Cuir de Russie is supposed to smell. Matthew describes it as “a work of art more than regular, run of the mill perfume.” All of Matthew’s creations are works of art. Also, he says that “a little goes a long way”. Yes, it does! If your a fan of expertly blended leather accords, you have to try this fragrance. Matthew’s sample set is the best way to discover his art. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

[Birch Tar & Russian Leather No. 25] ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ My second review on Meleg’s Birch Tar & Russian Leather. I could end my fragrance journey here. It is simply the most beautiful fragrance I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. My jaw drops to the floor every time I wear this. Mostly just a spray on my chest under the shirt for the most intimate of perfume experiences. I’d love to know how Matthew makes his perfume so seamless and smooth.