Year: 2012
Nose: Aurelien Guichard
Casbah opens in fact with a Polaroid picture of a casbah, bags of cinnamon, ginger, narcotic spices, sweet notes, flowers (geranium?), something "sparkling" that may be a side-note of ginger, frankincense, the smell of dusty streets, merchants, the sweat, the sun, the mysticism. Superb. Extremely fascinating, powerful, vibrant, colorful, with a cozy side of vanilla and white musk, perhaps liquorices or anise too (everytime I get this feeling it's because of patchouli), a bold mossy feel – the Mediterranean breeze, a balsamic cloud in a suk near the sea. And of course, the incense, sharp and pungent but still hiding below the initial blend. Extremely strong but with a great balance of notes, and a base that perfectly shapes and round this bag of notes, with a stout dusty base of tobacco leaves, perhaps oak moss and patchouli too. The blend slowly softens, becoming sweeter, more cloudy, calmer, balmy, settling on a mossy/hay/chypre accord somehow close to Corticchiato's style, and a majestic incense fog arises – until now you just got a subtle note of olibanum stuffed in a bag of spices, now "the market has closed" and it's time for the ritual. The incense accord is beautiful, spicy, rich, balsamic, vibrant, evocative, with "something" mellow and aromatic, sparkling like hot gold amber, at the same time bold but delicate. It just "arises" until you realise you are surrounded by incense. The evolution is perfect. A dry, aromatic, half-mossy half-liturgic elegance, a superb trip to the mysteries of the Mediterranean sea, rich in unpredictable and elusive nuances. The incense is just brilliantly crafted in a diamond of spices, balsamic-medicinal notes, cloves, dusty tobacco leaves, subtle floral notes. Extremely fascinating, distinctive, with a monster persistence. A Byzantine majesty and a must try for all incense lovers.
8,5-9/10
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