Quintessentially Amber

The Holy Grail of Amber (OK this, and L’Air du Désert Marocain Noir): Every addiction begins innocently: slow, low and sweet. The first sip of alcohol, the first whiff of perfume both start in the shallow end (along with my past relationships). We reach for what is easy: pina coladas, vanilla Absolute, and the same goes with the shelves of Sephora and Ulta overcrowded with crowd pleasers like Versace, Dior, and Chanel. But time refines us (some of us). Age teaches the tongue and the nose that true pleasure lies not in the sugary dopamine hit, but in depth. Just as the drinker graduates from Coca-Cola masked cocktails, to the dignified warmth of Macallan or Louis XIII, so too does the fraghead evolve. We have drifted from mainstream prettiness to the narcotic pull of dark niche. And then one day, it happens. The moment every scent addict remembers: the heroin hit that floods your system and you realize that the fragrance you are experiencing-- the one that makes you smell your arm over and over all day long, the obsessive hunt begins. And once the addiction takes root, we usually keep reaching for either oud or amber, or both. These molten resinous glows become our altar, and our undoing. At first, you find comfort in the familiar vanilla/ amber one-liners like Amouage Material, or Jusbox 14 Hour Dream. But as with any addiction, satisfaction fades and you start craving something older, darker and more complex. Something that hums at the frequence of your soul. Quintessentially Amber is not just a pedestrian amber-- it's the amber that stands at the edge of civilization and myth. Its opening strikes a curious chord that is like a weird lemony scent. Amouage Outlands does that to me as well. But I think this prepares you in like a moment of initiation. Then about 30 minutes later, oh myyyy. The heavens open up. What follows is nothing short of alchemical. There is this tapestry of incense, myrrh, labdanum and woods glowing like molten gold in candlelight. It smells ancient. And not in a museum way, but in a way that makes you feel the weight of temples, manuscripts and ritual. It's Biblical. Old-world. A scent that feels channeled rather than composed. The drydown is pure surrender. Amber that rolls the eyes back, resin that vibrates between heaven and earth. It's rich, guttural, yet breathtakingly elegant. The kind of beauty that does not seduce-- it anoints. L’Air du Désert Marocain Noir and Quintessentially Amber will always be front and center on my shelf. If you own both, you have ascended to the summit of addiction. There is nowhere higher to go. Quintessentially Amber is not for the novice traveler. It is for the wanderer who's followed every resin trail to its final, holy destination.

Very very (conventionally) beautiful amber, albeit likely not daring and experimental enough for typical Sultan Pasha fans (such as myself). To my nose, Quintessentially Amber is strongly and clearly following the tradition established by Ambre Sultan (Serge Lutens), but there are some key differences which would make it worth owning both only for true, pure amber addicts (which I'm perhaps not). Where Ambre Sultan cuts the sweetness with herbal notes like oregano and bay leaf, QA cuts (a very similar) sweetness with a liturgical combination of salt and incense. QA is distinctly salty, and you can tell that it's at least partially comprised of ambergris when you smell it, without going fully in the marine direction. There's a flinty incense in the background too, servicing an idea of something vaguely churchesque and religiously dream-like. However, all this is framing a very vanillic, benzoin-laden labdanum-style amber in the foreground, filled to the brim with the warmth, sweetness and generosity you'd expect given the fragrance's name. I don't detect any coumarin, and there is just a tiny sprinkle of herbs going on in QA also, but the scent profile overwhelmingly does remind me of the kind of amber as exemplified by the aforementioned Lutens, but perhaps less bohemian and marginally more aloof. There's a stony severity to Quintessentially Amber, it's less humorous (and indeed less suggestive) in temperament than most ambers I've encountered. As it progresses, QA loses some of its sweetness (though not all) leaving the dry, salty incense to do more and more of the lifting (I like this phase a lot more and it's where QA starts really meaningfully diverging from Ambre Sultan). A subtle floral of unclear origin also appears to give a salty, ambery, incense-balm type of effect. There's even an almost faintly cooling medicinal quality, but alas not so much as to become truly distinct or really take the wearer on a real journey. As far as from-the-hip ambers go, QA is clearly one of the very best, but straight ambers aren't so much my genre of fragrance at this point in my scent journey (I prefer them to be paired with dried fruits and/or leathers/animalics). I still think it's exquisite for what it is, and will be much loved by amberphiles who are willing to pay the tremendous asking price. Longevity on me is quite strong, at around 9 or so hours (sprayed at 8AM and still detectable around 4/5PM).

Here I am talking about another amber! I don't mean to sound ungrateful or facetious, but there are just a lot of Amber releases as of late. So how is this one different? It's not. Lol But it is done very well! The description relates to the fact that this fragrance is a culmination of all different types of amber put into one. I think that is a good descriptor. It goes from sweet, to spicy, to dark, and so on. Then it goes back to being sweet. The extract concentration allows it to do this because of how much time it has on your skin and in your environment. Very nice. Quintessentially Amber is a good name for this fragrance in that regard. I will say, only people in the United Kingdom will use a word like quintessential lol. You know that's true! I also need to mention, underneath this fragrance I have on Absinthe by Nasomatto. Not on purpose, but I was aware before I sprayed again. It actually smells very nice together. It's giving the amber a little bit of aromatic behavior. I'm sure there are plenty of other things going on, but the overall composition between the two of them are quite beautiful. I hate to say it, but that's pretty much it. I am convinced this is going to take a few tries to completely understand. Separately and together. Both of them. Thank you God for allowing me to have such a collection that I thoroughly enjoy every day. I am very grateful for this and I do cherish everything I have. It is my one connection to the rest of the world. I consider it one of the best forms of art out there. And I am very grateful to be a part of it.

Quintessentially Amber starts out a little atmospheric, with some growly animalics prowling at the surface. Within an hour or two they depart, and what’s left is a powdery smooth, deep and dense golden amber with the perfect balance of sweetness. At this point it’s completely linear and stays in this beautiful form for at least the next ten hours, with its sillage and projection slowly tapering towards the body til at about the 15 hour mark it’s the closest of skin scents. It smells to me like a very classic iteration of amber. I don’t get much of the rose, if at all, but all the other notes work together to serve up the dense almost viscous feel it has. It is a perfectly named perfume. It really is a quintessential amber.

The opening lift of peppery spice and aldehydes sets this apart from other ambers and feels elevated, drys to something more typically resinous but still high quality and long lasting. The heart has a salty ambergris and light incense adding some interest as well. It projects heavily for the first hour or so and although I favour ambers for bedtime scents this was almost too much for that at two small sprays- woke up and it was still pushing. This is very good and doesn’t feel redundant but I’m not tempted at this price point with so many great ambers out there for less, Ambre Sultan for example.

For amber lovers, this fragrance answers prayers they didn't know they were making. It's the amber I've been seeking for through countless disappointments and near-misses, the one that finally got everything right. The balance, the performance, the luxurious feel, the perfect calibration of richness and wearability. I think Sultan Pasha doesn't just succeed as a sprayable fragrance maker here, I was shown through this scent in particular what is actually possible "wow" wise, when artisanal skill meets classical inspiration. My favourite from the collection alongside Irisoir.

A complex amber perfume full of mystery. Like a trip through a souk with wafts of old-style cola, smokey olibanum and curious medicinal balsams. At the same time, there is a sweet floral fleshiness that is elegant and charming, but with a touch of animal attraction. A wondrous journey that transforms, many hours later, into a comforting, smokey cocoa/toffee powder on the skin.

Wow this is the shit. Thick, chewy, dry, powdery sweet. The textures from this pure scent are magical and so so my style It has a floral undertone which is to die for in regard to my taste. Lasts a great while aswell. To have such a simple scent profile become interesting is a desirable trait. Good job sultan pasha and hats off.

I agree with the reviewer below. Quintessentially Amber truly is the perfect amber ... the end all be all. It’s delightfully inviting - unassumingly rich and distinguished. The natural ambergris wraps you like a warm blanket. The experience is very luxurious. I’m extremely happy to own this.

I just love this. It brings a warm aura around me and keeps me happy as I go through my day. One of my recent favorites that might even get upgraded to my signature scent soon. Highly recommended for people who enjoy a warm, ambery fragrance. It emits sophistication. 5/5 in my book.

God, I love this. It’s thick, rich, and full of soul. An amber that actually makes you feel something.

Was so tempted to blind buy this. Thank God I stayed disciplined and got a sample. Overhyped by the community and Sebastian’s reaction and review had me expecting way more. It’s a standard slightly sweet amber that’s executed very well however I didn’t feel it stands out much for the genre. It’s a little balsamic, a little resinous, a little sweet, well just about every amber aspect is addressed. Jack of all trades, master of none. Think Steve Carell in Crazy Stupid Love after having the makeover by Ryan Gosling. He’s still Steve Carell. The price point €300 for 50ml of this is as funny as Steve Carell in that movie (Comedy Gold)! Caveat Emptor Amber. If price was part of the rating this would go down to a hate alas I’ll enjoy the sample over the next couple of weeks. PS. Never want to bash such a small brand but at the price point vs brands like Parfum d’Empire, Astier de Vilattee, Jovoy, Les Abstraits which are also niche this was very, very badly positioned.

It’s likable. But not lovable. I’ve smelled it before. Dare I say, it’s a little outdated⭐️⭐️⭐️

The sexiest amber on earth. Was a bit scared to blindbuy it as no samples were available anywhere, but listen. This stuff is just majestic as far as the ambery scents go. Zero synthetic feel, dark, deep, rich. Blending is just whoah!

I was nervous to try this because I love Sultan’s attars and had no idea what to expect from an amber fragrance, as some of all time least favorite perfumes are plain ambers (Grand Soir foremost among that list). This scent indeed veers dangerously close to the overplayed and the monotonous. But it doesn’t get there, instead Sultan has used a unique honey and floral incense base that plays with the benzoin to create a very pleasant scent that I can say is better than Shalimar, and is close maybe equal in quality to Chanel Le Lion. So while I won’t be buying a full bottle since I just don’t like amber fragrances that much I still really commend Sultan Pasha for this composition, I think it is excellent considering how hard it is to make a unique amber scent. I like the dusty salty lotion freshness here and it smells much better from a distance, great sillage. There is a close resemblance to a perfume i really dislike called “Gold Rose Oudh” by Tirenzi that has this nuclear sand and honey accord and this has that same hot sand smell but is much better blended and not synthetic smelling. Between this and Tauer Au Couer I would choose this because it smells very natural which is going to be the selling point of this fragrance. I think this will sell very well for entrants to niche perfumes. Bravo!

Quintessentially Amber unfortunately misses the mark for me. It’s a sort of Grand Soir meets Amouage’s Material take on the amber genre and remains quite feminine throughout the wearing. It lacks the originality and character I’ve come to associate with Sultan Pasha. QA opens with an aromatic, somewhat vaguely floral amber blast. It’s at this point it feels the most vintage. Texturally it feels like silk and for a brief moment you get a blast of spicy incense before the woody ambers take over. Overall there’s not much to write home about with this fragrance. It smells like Grand Soir had a baby with Ambre Sultan. If you took away all the spice and character from Ambre Sultan and combined it with the modern woody ambers of Grand Soir you get Quintessentially Amber. I don’t get much in the way of ambergris however texturally you can pick up slight hints of the material but it’s nowhere near as present as Villoresi’s Ambra which I feel is a much more superior take. Performance is very strong. Arms length projection and 24 hours on skin.

Whoa - very impressive indeed! Not normally much of an amber fan, but this one could convert me. Beautifully blended; the depth it goes to is quite deep. A nice backbone of wood in there too, for this nose. The price tag is unfortunately prohibitive, but the sample was well worth it. I'm a big fan of Sultan Pasha's attars - this perfume does not disappoint. He manages to take perfumery to the next level, imo. Where's that lottery ticket?!

I agree with @castingshadows87. It smells a lot like Material from Amouage and Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens (Ambre Sultan being the superior fragrance of the three, and also the least expensive). I blind bought it and I regret it tbh, given how I also own Material and Ambre Sultan.

One of the best ambers I’ve ever tried. Gonna rock the shzz out of it this fall.