Aftelier Cassis: Perfume Review

In Russian, when something has started to ferment and turn into an alcoholic beverage, we say that it забродило (zabrodilo), literally -wandered off. The blackcurrant in Mandy Aftel's Cassis has definitely wandered off from the innocent dacha of my childhood and into places where my mama entreated me never to go. Corrupted with rum, smoke and spice, this is not your granny's blackcurrant jam. Drunken, dissolute, debauched, this is currant gone bad, really, really bad. As always, when a note in perfume "goes bad", in a sense that it acquires this boozy, very ripe, husky quality, I go right after it. Aftelier's Cassis makes me think of an unknown liquor...which I would very much like to know...if rum was distilled from berries and not molasses, this is what it would smell like...add to that thick, piquant, sweet fragrance the aroma of old oak barrels...stored in a dark cellar...in a house of someone your mama wouldn't want you to know...and you have an idea of Aftelier Cassis. To smell it for yourself, luckily (?) you don't have to visit mechant loup in his lair. Cassis is available at Aftelier.com, Henri Bendel, Blunda and Suendhaft, $150.00 for 1/4oz. Image, by Carter Smith, is from art+commerce.

Perfume Review: Aftelier Cognac

Cognac to me is the most comforting drink. It has a pleasantly numbing effect, it relaxes and soothes my invariably stressed mind like no other drink, prescriptive or non-prescriptive, does. Drinking from a pear-shaped snifter is akin to imbibing in the waters of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. A perfume inspired by the eau-de-vie should therefore be a comfort scent extraordinaire, and in talented hands of Mandy Aftel it really is. A cognac lover whose knowledge on the subject is much superior to mine, when asked if the way Aftelier creation smells can be compared to any actual cognac, thought that if the perfume was a drink it would have been the closest to Martell Creation. Having had a (very expensive) pleasure of tasting the said cognac, I understand the comparison made by the tres sophisticated friend of mine. The notes of ginger and candied orange zest that hit the palate on the first sniff (and the first taste) are utterly delicious. The ginger spikes up the silky aroma, and its zestiness is perfectly balanced by the nutty, oily accord that makes me think of very old wooden casks and mild curry. The effect is incredibly attractive, a complex, mellow, rich aroma that is warming and refreshing at the same time, a blend that is simultaneously sensual and tranquil. Aftelier Cognac is available at aftelier.com and Henri Bendel, $150.00 for 7ml. Martell Creation can be found at various wine merchants for around $300 for 750ml.