There is a sweet sarsaparilla in the opening that is spicy, fruity, and tangy. This isn’t full-on root beer, but imagine a Thai-style root beer. Like with Thai food; with every bite, you get a mix of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami. This is exactly this top; you get all five of these smells at once, each uniquely blended into their own category on a bed of smoke, oud, and soft authentic musk.
Spiced-up florals are rose and a hidden jasmine, with Thai tea spices lingering on top with the sarsaparilla thing. Their signature Hindi oud is there, but only as a note in the crowd and not on stage like it is in Emperor Hind. The oud is just one of the faces that you see as you whiff through the scent. The florals in the heart are going to throw you. Again, this is Indian perfume, and it has its own signature, just like the cuisine. Imagine an Indian/Thai fusion. There are flowers you know, but they are spiced and colored up in a new way, featuring different beautiful facets of the materials. The sweet, fresh air really is becoming a memory maker. Saffron provides aromatics with the pandan leaf that are earthy and buttery. Think of a buttery patchouli, and we are moving in the right direction with pandan. Pandan is a slightly sweet, slightly bitter, buttery leaf.
The animalics are all there but toned way down to just sit on the skin and make magic with all the spices, florals, and woods, including the oud playing out through the entire fragrance. Onchya shells, oakmoss, and patchouli are noticeable. Smoky, luminous opoponax and vanilla give this an interesting amber flavor, leaving that whole Thai cola thing the entire time.
Beautiful Hindi oud gets changed up with the Thai oud. The magic of these spices make me think this is the direction Old Spice could have gone if capitalism and greed weren’t the only motivating factor. Anyone ever try Hindi Tabac? Think of that, and then add a ton of fresh spice. This is modern-day spice that will get even better as it ages.
Overall, this is a fresh musk with a plethora of spices.