Launched by Laboratorio Olfattivo in 2010, Alambar is nose Enrico Buccella’s ode to amber.

It opens with citrusy bergamot – not a blast, not a hit, just a citrus presence – before coca appears adding a note of deep dark chocolate, sweetened by earthy, musky amber. As it moves to the heart, there is a whiff of rose - likely from genariol – that gives it a gorgeous floral aspect while cinnamon adds spicy warmth. Then vanilla appears – exotic, sweet and delicious. But before you can even think ‘gourmand’ amber wafts up and balances it perfectly – allowing the cinnamon to play up its warmth and the vanilla to highlight its sweetness, but only in supporting roles. On me, it never gets ‘gourmandy’, just deliciously seductive.  Amber is at the base too, where incense dries it out and gives it a slight smokiness and musk plays up amber’s animalic aspect and smoothes the whole composition out at the drydown.

Oh, yes, the drydown… Alambar is all about the amber – the juice is even amber coloured – and amber is shot through every stage of this fragrance, but it is so harmoniously blended that it never grows harsh or overpowering, even at a concentration of 17%. Alambar is a sophisticated unisex fragrance that develops into a skin scent of pure amber – warmed, sweetened, softened, but not so much that it loses its earthy/musky mojo - and made perfect for cooler temperatures.

Notes: bergamot, cocoa, rose, cinnamon, vanilla, amber, incense, musk.

Type: EdP

Parfumeur: Enrico Buccella