Tam Dao (2003)
by Diptyque

This is supposed to be Diptyque's great essay on sandalwood. Forget the sandalwood. Tam Dao starts out dry and reserved, with a touch of spice and a whole dump truck load of cedar.

And that's it. Bone dry cedar and sharp spices on a bed of desiccated powder. Pure, simple...wait that's a soap commercial isn't it? Tam Dao is dry wood stripped down to its essence, with none of the potentially distracting notes that soften the edges of scents like Santal Noble or Santal Imperial. It smells like a carpenter’s shop, filled with sawdust. It's also utterly, unfailingly linear, just as many other Diptyque scents. Tam Dao is the Zen of cedar. The bare essentials. The unclouded vision. It's quite the achievement, yet it somehow fails to inspire me.

Diptyque Tam Dao

Diptyque started making fragrances in 1968 but in the last few years they have really begun to make an impact in the scented world. One of these impact makers is Tam Dao which was developed in 2003 by Daniel Moliere. Tam Dao has bcome a sandalwood reference standard because of the heavy presence sandalwood exerts on this fragrance. There are three other notes listed; rosewood, cypress, and ambergris. While many who love this scent mention it as almost a sandalwood "soliflore" it is more than that due to the presence of those other notes. From the top the sandalwood is clearly present but the note that pairs with it is cypress and the fresh cleanliness that cypress adds produces an edge to the richness of the sandalwood. As we move into the heart the rosewood begins to show up . The rosewood adds a subtlety to the sandalwood and as it becomes more apparent to my nose a suppleness to the development. The ambergris is the sweet version which intensifies the sweetness inherent in sandalwood and brings this to a beautiful close. Tam Dao is like a meditation on sandalwood in three acts and M. Moliere has used each of the partnering notes to explore a different facet of sandalwood. For those who like sandalwood Tam Dao is a must try scent as it should expose you to all of the potential it has as a note in perfume making.

My wife loved it. I hated it. It's a fine cologne but it's too 80s, strong, draws attention to itself, not to the wearer.

Clean, pure, mellow, simple, and well done. Pure sandalwood accented with cedar and cypress.

There isn't a lot one can say about this fragrance, and that's part of its charm. Its simplicity is uniquely calming.

Mild to moderate sillage; decent longevity.

Recommended.

Flawlessly blended pretty little sandalwood. Very natural, refined and authentic. Lasts long time with gentle sillage. Totally appropriate for both sexes.

Of course this has a lot common with many other sandalwood scents. For instance, Tam Dao could easily be seen as some sort of light version of Santal Noble.

TD is pure creamy vs. dusty sandalwood that has hints of that coconutty smell which is usual for sandalwood scents.

Simple as that. One dimensional with no particular development or depth, but it doesn’t matter at all: It just smells good without trying too hard of anything.


If you find this too tame, I suggest you reach for that Santal Noble or preferably Santal de Mysore (Lutens).

For an unrepentantly woody scent, Tam Dao is charmingly translucent, in a manner that is identifiably 'Diptyque': graceful, tasteful and measured. For me, it is the cedar note that peeks out most noticeably from behind the dusty sandalwood, with a sprinkling of black pepper and, at base, the vaguest incensey whiff. I find this a comforting scent with strong evocations of childhood; in fact, what Tam Dao reminds me of most forcibly is the mingled scent of rosin, wood and varnish that used to emerge from my tiny, child-sized violin case.