Shalimar Extrait (1925)
by Guerlain

The opening with its mix of bergamot, lemon and mandarin may sound like a fresh sunny-citrus affair, but it is given a twist by the addition of herbal and well as spicier components. In the herbal side there is a nice rosemary with added whiffs if marjoram, whilst a darker patchouli and some opoponax provide a spicy element to the initial stage. The whole results in a unique citrus-herbal-spicy combination that has depth as well as some light elegance - and it all is balanced most beautifully.

The drydown adds a floral bouquet consisting of a rose - restrained and somewhat uneventful - with a jasmine - delightful - and an iris, which is taking in the leading role, and whose characteristic smell and discreet powderiness extends way into the later stages of the development. A mild and soft vetiver is evident in the background.

The base extends the spicy theme of the opoponax with added sweetness courtesy of a vanilla/tonka note, but soon a more - restrainedly animalic - metamorphosis takes place, adding touches of coumarin, a musky civet with a mildly salty ambergris to it - the latter is as good as anything Creed has produced in this category. Overall though this is a refinedly animalic turn, however contradictory this may sound; here Guerlain has managed this olfactory squaring of the circle. All this is accompanied by a faint sandalwood underneath. During the last hours transient moment of frankincense are noticeable, and whilst ad additional impression of Tolu balsam does not exactly hurry onto this olfactory stage, towards the and it makes an appearance that adds further colour and some slightly medicinal touches to the base notes.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and a superb longevity of twelve hours on my skin.

There many flankers and permutations of Shalimar that Guerlain has launched over the last century, but this scent for special spring and warmer autumn evening is the best and truly the real deal. The delicately composed complexity is very impressive, the quality of the ingredients is astounding, and blending sublime. At times some notes are a bit lacking in vividness and am there are moments where the texture is not throughly convincing, but overall this is a brilliant creation. The performance is particularly impressive given the age of my sample. Like with a fine wine, age has not taken away from its shine. 4.25/5.