Winter Woods

I actually don’t get a lot of birch tar or smoky cade from this scent - the smokiness is subtle, like a waft of scent from a far off fire. Winter Woods begins as a strong animalic castoreum note, tempered by something gourmand but not too sweet - though it smells like maple syrup and butter. There’s also a bit too much booziness in the first minute, but luckily it dies down quickly. The butter note reminds me of a toned down version of the butter co2 used in a lot of Kyse scents. It adds interest, and keeps me sniffing my arm, going “what is that?”. The scent then develops into a lovely, warm and sweet amber scent. The castoreaum, butter/maple, slight booze, ambergris and sandalwood are identifiable to my nose. The ambergris is actually very strong in the heart of this perfume, it adds a sweet animalic and salty aspect. I have a small attar of sandalwood and pure ambergris and it smells similar to this note in Winter Woods. This scent is interesting, well constructed and melds with my skin chemistry in an enchanting way. It holds the place of one of the few primarily animalic scents on my want list. I appreciate the fact that this scent is not spicy - I love spicy notes but I feel as though the impulse with woodsy / ambery scents is to dump a bunch of spices on them and call it a day. I admire the perumer’s restraint here, and the ingredients are able to stand on their own. Edit: I've also gotten some lovely compliments on this scent, which indicates that it's not too animalic for the general public! Just today a girl said "Oh my god you smell so good, what a pleasant scent!".

This is such a simple fragrance but it's fantastic execution pushes it into a whole new class to me. Theres not much going on here besides a ton of amber, a clearly detectable smoky facet (no doubt castoreum and birch tar) and some subtle, but important woodsy notes. I don't consider myself a fan of amber -dominant fragrances in general, but here the note is blended so nicely with the others that it reads less like amber and more like a familiar, comforting sweetness. It actually awoke some dormant memories of a church I was forced to attend as a child...It was a small cozy old ramshackle building full of warm air and the scent of old books. There was also always a little bit of smokiness from years of frankincense burning. I hated being dragged their every Sunday but looking back I can't deny that it had a certain charm. I sprayed a bit on this morning and all day I was catching whiffs of sweetness and woods. It was totally pleasant and a few friends of mine were raving about how good it smelled. They both compared it to a chai tea latte. can't say I see the connection but I love it regardless. This is one of my favorites from Sonoma. It's a great example of a fragrance that is focussed and accessible while still retaining uniqueness and quality. I highly recommend it for it's general pleasantness, evocative quality and affordability. 8.5/10

One of the best transformations i have ever experienced. And it happens very very fast. The beginning is smokey and woody kind of dark and just ok... Then, the magic happens. A beautiful amber sweet incense with a touch of vanilla envelope the woods. Theres all kinds of woods dancing around. Very good longevity and projects average. This and Tabac Auera are two must haves from this house and i am ordering two full bottles this Friday. The perfumer is just a email away and i think she is just as gifted if not more gifted than some very famous perfumers i have in my collection. I wanted to get incense pure, but i think wazamba got me over it, we will see. I am still trying to find an incense better than incense oud by kilian and havent yet, but that neither here nor there. This stuff is amazing. Dont pass this up without at least visiting her website and order a sample first. I was skeptical at first but this is a perfect example of why i dont judge a book by its cover

This is a very nice winter fall scent...You have the feeling that you are in a village after a heavy rain, cloudy weather, you get the smell of earth, the trees and roots with the smoky-sweet smell coming out from the fireplaces in the houses. It is very natural, strong and attractive. For those who love woody scents, especially potion and silver wind woods from Dsquared2, this is a must have and much better with great sillage, longevity and unigueness. When you apply this, you want to sit outside in the winter with all this cold and wind just to smell the maximum of this scent...great, definitely great. Laurie Erickson who created, runs and sells the perfumes is a professional, very friendly and you will get the maximum of respect needed. I totally recommend this but only only for winter and fall! it is great for an afternoon trip to the mountains and outdoors generally! You get a so natural mountain/rainy/woody/smoky smell that you will never forget it!

This little known gem is possibly the best spin on woods and amber I have yet encountered - there is, literally, nothing that smells quite as woodsy and amber-y, like the love child of a fine cabinet maker's shop and an attar store in the Middle East. Its so spectacular, in my humble opinion, that I wonder why it hasn't garnered a huge cult following, with thousands and thousands of us little perfume lovers trudging through the online shopping forests in hopes of snagging just one little bottle of this incredible fragrant cold weather potion. Winter Woods is nothing short of spectacular as a scent, intense in presence - its an extrait for certain! - , quasi eternal in its duration - 12 hours and then some - and as magical as a walk in blue twilight through snow covered woods. 10 out of 10 for beauty, duration, sillage. Caveat: You have to adore woods and amber, and have a fondness for perfumes with real presence.

I love this scent ! Gorgeously woody and smoky and semi-sweet and delicious and cosy and unisex charming...oooh...I cannot give it enough praise ! Very fortunately for us here SSS scents are now available and I am so happy about this I could jump with joy. Yes, the brand offers excellent customer service and takes customer requests seriously. I just wish I lived in California - probably would visit their boutique quite often :-) Winter Woods stays on my skin long and really gives me that cuddly, cosy and heart-warming feeling of "being at home". It gives me inner peace. I like many perfumes, but only very few can switch that feel-good-button in me the way WW does. If you like it woody and ambery, slightly sweet and extravagant you must give this a try. Will reasure my bottle like a precious jewel.

This is a beautiful animalic ambergris, castoreum, perfume w/ a beautiful vanillic amber base. The woods are just a nuance to my nose because I am getting hit w/ a musky animalic bomb which I love. This is so full bottle worthy, and I will be buying one ASAP. Winter Woods is slightly smoky as well. An animalic, musky, smoky and delicious vanilla fragrance that is very, very sexy. Edit: 5/26/22 This has been on my want shelf for a while now. My husband isn't too keen on it but I'm still dreaming of a bottle. If you like musk and animalic scents this one is one of the best I have tried.

Sweet, animalic slightly smokey woods without the “oriental” spices that often read as christmassy to many. This is the most friendly and approachable “real” animalic I’ve ever encountered. Meaning that it does not smell like soap or veer into any of the myriad other effects synthetic musks can provide. It clearly smells like Animal, in a way that neither drives people away from you nor sacrifices the classic funky allure. This is in part due to its sweetness, and it will be too sweet for some. Unisex but would be incredible on a man. Cool weather only.

Lovely for amber worshipers. Although I smell more amber than woods, the abundance of amber might be what makes this wood so cozy and wintry. It's a soft and comforting scent, lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It has this golden effect about it that makes one feel happy inside. You know that movie the Sound of Music? The song goes, "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" I can't answer that question, but I can tell you that Laurie Erickson knows how to trap the warmth and glow of a fireplace in a bottle.

Laurie, what did you do? Waving your magic wand? Now I have to add this perfume to the top of my WILL BUY list. I blame you for that, but in a happy way :) I fell in love with Burnt Amber of Neil Morris yesterday, and today I fall in love with Winter Woods of Sonoma Scent. Maybe they both have Castoreum...hahaha... Anyway, it's the mixture of sandalwood and amber I smell the most and oakmoss. When it settles down a little, it does smell like chypre to me.

Bought this one due to the review on this forum. I was sure this was perfect for me. And it is! Really lovely perfume. I think you cannot buy anything like this in the netherlands where I live. At first spicy and woody, later on more sweet, and soft. Very warm scent. I smell sandelwood the most. I smell also a hint of pathoully, but that's not in it..... A hippie (oriental) scent, and a very rich and good one

Just got my sample in the mail today. Another phenomenal creation from the talented Laurie Erickson! WW is deep, woodsy, ambery, creamy, and just perfect for our MN late fall/early winter. I smell crushed fallen leaves, wet bark, cedar, moss, a slightly smokiness, and lots of smooth amber. I am surprised how feminine it is, with all it's woodsiness.

Take a look at my collection if you have time, out of all my fragrances i want to say this is currently one of my favorites next to AJ Arabia black I which is no one. Projects like a beast for at least 5-6 hours and stays on skin for 18+ hours I get so many compliments when i wear this Review of this is also on YouTube my channel is ConsumerThis

I have no idea why they call it Winter Woods. It should be called by the name Amber Imperial or something like that. I have Armani Prive Amber Orient, which was my favourite Amber scent until I see this. This is the best of the best Sweet Amber Scent. For another type of amber you can try Tauer 02 Lair du desert Marocain

Mmmm. This is so warm and great for fall! It starts out a bit obnoxious to me, with really sharp amber. It quickly turns to sweet, smoky wood-the kind that makes me constantly sniff my wrists. This goes directly to wanted list.

@Persefoni: Nowadays castoreum has been replaced by chemically synthesized castoreum. Plus, Laurie Erickson- the perfumer, is one of the kindest creatures with great respect to nature and animals!

I layer it with Incense Pure and it is the best

A couple of days ago, I was heading for town, perfectly aware of that -3 celcius, snow and ice would affect my body temperature big time.Suddenly I got a voice in my head saying; "Put on some winter woods!" And I have to say, I`ve never smelled anything more suitable for extra cold days! It`s not only warm and comforting, it`s like it got several layers of warming materials. Almost like the way people would dress when skiing: wool closest to skin, then a new layer of wool, finished by an isolating layer for ultimate comfort. It`s a hint of freshness to it as well that remindes me of pine, but only a hint. Just enough to give the richness a bright spark. Winter Woods totally lives up to it`s name. I love it and will definately reach for it on the coolest of the coolest days!

when first applied i get something pickle-like but it fades off in seconds, followed by castoreum and birch tar-it's very woodsy in the best way. it makes me think of a log cabin in the woods with a fire crackling in the fireplace to cut the chill coming in from outside, definitely true to its name. the amber grows stronger as time goes on and it's this beautiful woody-amber. i was a little scared off by the castoreum at first, but realized it smells quite good and that i'd tried scents with it before, just wasn't realizing it was that particular note. i cannot wait to try this again in winter!

A bit woodsy (duh) and boozy at intial contact, its beginnings are okay. But once it hits the middle and dry down stages, it becomes warm and beautiful. Sweet from the amber, but not disgustingly sweet. It's velvety, creamy and almost vanilla-like. I'm not a fan of sweet smelling fragrances, but I do like this the best out of all the SSS frags I have sampled, which is ironic because this was the one I was most expecting to not like because of people reviewing and writing that it is a bit on the sweet side. The sweetness is pretty damn pleasant to my nose, however.