Jubilation XXV (2007)
by Amouage

Natural-smelling and dusty spices? Check.
Oud? Check.
High quality dried fruits, dates and plum? Check.
Super expensive silver frankincense? Check.
Ambery, fizzy, synthetic cedar accord? Check. Wait... WHAT?

I can hear Amouage's creative director and Duchaufour discussing it now: "Ok, so refresh me on why we're putting a synthetic cedar accord (ie. the aromachemical Iso E Super) in here? Ohhhh right, 'cause otherwise this just would have been too good!"

Well, alright, it's not that big of a deal. As others might agree, the Iso E Super does give the fragrance a dusty feel, while highlighting the incense. There's seriously no other fragrance out there with this level of complexity, high quality of ingredients and unique texture. The problem is that I just can't stand Iso E Super in any fragrance. In the end, the rest of the ingredients definitely make up for the synthetic cedar accord - it's just that they shouldn't have to.

8.5/10 (Could have been a 10/10 without the Iso E Super)

I've spent a lot of time with Amouage's new Jubilation XXV. Why? Partially because others have been so divided by it (indifference to adulation), partially because it's one of those layered, complex fragrances that I need to spend a lot of time with, and mostly because everything I've tested lately has been utter tripe. Jubilation XXV may not be earth-shattering, but at least it's not utter tripe. So...

Though the result will not be concise, I'm going to recount my evolving thoughts on Jubilation XXV. I started with my usual sparing application on the back of one hand:

Jubilation comes from Bertrand Duchaufour, the same nose that gave us Timbuktu and Dzongkha, and represents another stage in his exploration of incense. Jubilation starts out as a spicy incense blend, including frankinsence and myrrh along with cinnamon, coriander seed, cloves and maybe even a slight touch of oudh. At first it reminds me of Dzongkha, but it starts out sweeter and less smoky. Floral elements are clearly present, but they are closely blended and hence difficult to distinguish and identify.

Jubilation grows smokier as it develops, and soon reveals a very dry leather note. At this stage Jubilation aligns itself somewhat with Durbano's Black Tourmaline, though it's much less smoky and obviously more floral. It dries down to a base of leather and incense with a healthy dose of iris root that again brings Dzongkha to mind. If you enjoy Dzongkha or Black Tourmaline but want something just a bit more easy to wear, I expect you will like Jubilation XXV.
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My second round with Jubilation involved side-by-side comparisons between Jubilation XXV and a couple of other well-regarded incense fragrances by Duchaufour, plus a full day's wear on my neck, chest and arms. This exercise grew into a meditation on the entire Amouage line:

When Amouage first emerged oh those 25 years ago, it was noted for (OK, notorious for) outrageous pricing, rare, high quality ingredients, engaging noteworthy noses, and ridiculous snob-appeal advertising. The fragrance market has since changed, and so has Amouage. Thanks to the current craze for "prestige" designer scent lines, you can now pay as much for scents from Comme des Garcons, Armani, Hermès, or Christian Dior as for Amouage Gold or Dia. Meanwhile Amouage moved (stooped?) to chase a younger, hipper market with "clean, fresh" scents like Arcus and Cirrus. These were less individual than the earlier offerings, and even eschewed or downplayed Amouage's signature frankincense note.

Last year's Reflection duo were a positive development. They were composed by outstanding noses (Roucel, Sieuzac), showed much more originality than Arcus or Cirrus, and won some favor from bloggers and critics. (Pace Luca Turin.) Now, hot on their heels, come the two Jubilation offernigs, the first since a new artistic head announced a major change in direction for the house.

So how does the male scent, Jubilation XXV, relate to the rest of the Amouage line? For starters, the frankincense is back. With a vengeance! Like the early Amouage releases, Dia, Gold, and Ciel, Jubilation also has a kind of blatantly floral heart that is uncommon among men's perfumes.

Jubilation has little in common with Gold's abundant aldehydes, sweet heady white flowers and civet. It is also a much thicker, darker, and woodier fragrance than the buoyant Ciel. Jubilation XXV is a more closely related to Dia for Men than of any other Amouage offerings. Yes, Jubilation is thicker, sweeter, and more opulent than Dia, but their frankincense/floral/leather accords run parallel, if distinct courses. With Reflection, Arcus, and Cirrus, Jubilation has nothing in common.

If Jubilation marks a change for Amouage, it's more of a course correction than an outing in a novel direction. Maybe this is what disappointed those critics who expected something radically new from Jubilation. The more positive responses may reflect Jubilation's depth, its exceptional blending, and its high quality ingredients. I find it no coincidence that Amouage discontinued Arcus and Cirrus when the Jubilation siblings appeared. Jubilation XXV and Jubilation 25 make both of them look like anomalies in the house history.

What of Jubilation XXV itself? I started out ambivalent. If Jubilation was going to win me over, it would do so gradually. Like it or not, Amouage's first scent, Gold, was a blockbuster release - potent, in-your-face, and unapologetically flamboyant. (Think Kouros, Kingdom, or Angel.) It was too limited in distribution and too expensive to turn the tide of perfumery, but you knew whether you liked it within minutes of putting it on. It's no surprise that coming from Bertrand Duchaufour, Jubilation XXV is a very different kind of animal. It is complex, but never gaudy, and eminently wearable. It somehow manages to have persistent sillage with very moderate projection. It works like an olfactory shadow that follows you at a distance.

In an attempt to break my ambivalence, I finally took a deep breath and poured what remained of my expensive sample down my right arm, where it left a persistent oily stain. (High concentration?) Applied generously, Jubilation XXV is an impressively rich, deep composition. First off, it reveals previously hidden fruity top notes - especially blackberry - over the heavier cinnamon, cloves, and incense. There's also patchouli. Lots of patchouli, which was relatively inconspicuous in lighter applications. The listed bay is also much more present in the heart, along with the floral notes, spices, and a very well-blended honey/patchouli/frankincense accord. With generous application the ambergris in Jubilation XXV packs a lot more punch, and lends the fragrance a warm, sensuous, yet slightly "dangerous" animalic glow.

Liberal application improves Jubilation's longevity as well. The luxurious drydown persists for hours and hours and is without question this fragrance's best feature. Oudh, myrrh, and opoponax engage in a complex dance upon a stage of leather. The medicinal astrigency of oudh and myrrh offer a perfect balance to the sweet opoponax.

Jubilation is by far the darkest men's scent in the current Amouage lineup. It's also heavier and sweeter than any Duchaufour scent I can recall, except perhaps Méchant Loup, to which Jubilation bears no other resemblance. In fact, Jubilation's closest kin are not Duchaufour's earlier incense compositions, but Amouage's own drier and more slender Dia, along with certain woody incense fragrances like Divine's L'Homme Sage (minus the saffron) or even Andy Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain. While it's no Patou pour Homme, I do not blush to compare Jubilation XXV to New York, Havana, Chergui, or Fumerie Turque in its of depth and complex structure. In one respect Jubilation XXV can indeed stand up to Patou pour Homme, and that's in its superb blending. With its velvet smooth accords and seamless evolution Jubilation XXV might just become a locus classicus in modern fragrance blending.

Jubilation XXV is not a revolutionary fragrance or a blockbuster release. But provided that you wear enough of it, it is an easily wearable and distinctive scent of obvious high quality. Along with the recent Reflection, I believe Jubilation XXV represents a return to form for Amouage after a string of less-than-distinguished releases. Jubilation XXV is one of those scents like Santal Noble, Iris Bleu Gris, Cuir Mauresque, and Muscs Koublai Khan, that have crept up on me slowly after making an indifferent first impression. Appreciating Jubilation XXV requires more than cursory acquaintance, along with expectations untainted by the hoopla of its advertising copy.

Now that the rest of the fragrance world (for better or for worse,) has caught up with its pricing, the house of Amouage may become more relevant than it once was. One can now spend Amouage prices, if not more, on a fragrance and get far less in return. If Amouage maintains its commitment to top-flight ingredients and continues to engage noses as accomplished as Bertrand Duchaufour, it may become a house to watch over the next decade.

Edit:

Jubilation screams if you’re listening. The synthetic woody-amber blows out of the bottle like a newly released prisoner with a hundred dollars in his pocket. It’s a rich woody oriental that makes great use of spices, plump fruit and incense. It reminds me of a few I’ve smelled before, but comparisons are unnecessary because Jubilation XXV is significantly better than most all of them. It’s made of extremely high quality raw materials operating on a solid and sizeable structure, but there are times when the woody-amber feels like it could turn into something burdensome. Fortunately it stays under control, rather than skyrocketing like so many woody-amber prominent fragrances do, Heritage (Guerlain) is a good example. As good as Jubilation XXV is, it still occasionally feels like it’s blowing a storm whistle in my ear in order to get my attention, and that’s been the case with almost every masculine fragrance from this house. Most of them feel glaring in their attempt to be fashionable, and often times they just feel entirely ridiculous. There’s no doubt that the orientalist Duchaufour was the man for the job, and I think if the final product would have been up to him it would have been a little less gussied up. But this is a superb effort, and there are few masculine orientals that match up.

Like all of them, you might need to give it time to fully perceive it, but in this case the amount of time probably won’t be more than a few weeks to a couple of months. I still find the woody-amber noticeable, but it’s of little concern because the fragrance is so good otherwise. It‘s intoxicating and it just smells great, it’s easy to wear, and it has very few faults. It’s a paragon of blending, and I can’t think of a spicy-oriental that I’d recommend instead of it.

A previous review mentioned that Jubilation XXV is "understated". Perhaps that's correct if you're looking for a variation of Chergui or some other nuclear type thing, but otherwise it's highly inaccurate. In Jubilation XXV, the composition is substantial, and it just stretches, sings, and excels in all areas. There are many things I like about it, but one of the most striking things about it is that much of the sweetness and depth comes from a rich-warm-sultry-and balsamic labdanum and opopanax, and there is no benzoin or vanilla to be found. That in itself is a miracle. This stuff is as cool as the other side of your pillow, and if you're talking about a luxurious spicy-woody oriental, it's damn near perfect.

JUBILATION XXV pops open with a fizz, much like uncorking a bottle of fine wine. If that carbonated whiff is the work of Iso E Super then I'm thankful it doesn't stick around - it smells too synthetic. The rummy yet dry opening swiftly recedes to herald the arrival of a sumptuous if not opulent blend of dried fruit and spices amidst smoky incense and resinuous woods. But wait - haven't I smelled this before? You bet. By Kilian's Straight To Heaven is another similar take on the celebratory toast and was released in that same year. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I figured Bertrand Duchaufour and Sidonie Lancesseur probably met and gave each other a toast in celebration of their next creation. Salut!

One of the best scents i have ever worn. opens with a bitter, light brown textured coffee note with lots of dust and hints of plum/date like fruity accord and cinnamon/clove like spices. the feel is pretty refined and dynamic. under this lush accord lies a lush mid notes of patchouli, rose and fruits...under this serene accord frankincense and other accords of incense provides a certain coolness...like midnight in desert... as claimed by Amouage, it indeed is one of the best accord of frankincense one would ever experience. Top notch scent worth all the accolades and the price.

This is one of those scents: the kind that I often get stuck with because it seems so impressive at first sniff. It is so impressive – unique, rich, refined – resinous woods and incenses that cause pain because they were so beautiful – I lusted for it, and I almost dumped $290 at that first sniff. Fully ensconced in that mindset, I decide to write a review describing its greatness instead of buying immediately. I wished to show the world how excellent Amouage Jubilation XXV is. And that desire was its undoing… you see, to write a review I have to put aside my mindset and begin using my actual brain. At my second wearing I noticed the fruit / signature note and felt the first tinge of disappointment – I react to it the same way I react to the house note of Ormande Jayne: I don’t dislike it but it just doesn’t push any buttons for me. My third wearing I noticed the signature fruit note and noticed the signature fruit note, and continued and continued to notice the signature fruit note. Why, I wondered, am I noticing this signature note when what I really want is to notice the frankincense, labdanum, and gaicwood notes all those resinous treasures supposedly inhabiting the fragrance? The answer, of course, is – those luxurious, resinous diamonds and sapphires fade quickly while the signature fruit notes rise to prominence, and the fruitiness is hell bent to dominate the total olfactory real estate regardless for my desire for those richer, rarer, soul fulfilling resinous jewels.,, I tried Vibert’s suggestion of applying a heavy dose of liquid, but it had the opposite effect on my skin. The fragrance became softer and lost sillage, while creating an oil slick on my skin. …I’ve never noticed the drydown (if there is one) because after six or seven testings of two or three hours of smelling a not very interesting dried fruit note, I’ve completely lost interest, and I mean that I feel indifferent to anything connected to this fragrance. Thank you, Amouage, for making yet another one-third of a thousand dollar fragrance that I have little interest in buying…

All that being said, Jubilation XXV is a very good fragrance – the only Amouage that I might consider buying besides the discontinued Silver Crystal. JXXV is of undoubtedly high quality ingredients. The artistry of the blendings is superior. It is highly wearable and it is much more adaptable than previous Amouages: Jubilation XXV will work with jeans or tuxedos or anything in between. The quality is there... the passion isn't.