Yazhini ManimudiThe Turkish niche perfume brand Nishane, known for their high performance premium perfumes, has come out with an exclusive for the Middle East. A Date with Oud. This is a special edition perfume created in collaboration with Al Tayer Group, a luxury retail partner in the UAE.
Nishane introduces the fragrance poetically, saying:
“A fire flickers in the dunes, where hot sands meet cool night air. From the ashes rises the resinous smoke of burning oud, while in the darkness, a single Ajwa date is savored—sweet, rich, unforgettable. This is no ordinary indulgence; it is A Date with Oud.”
Notes
Top: Ajwa Date, Black Pepper Essence, Grapefruit Essence
Middle: Frankincense Essence, Leatherwood Essence
Base: Oud Accord, Tonka Bean Absolute
We open with the rich, soft sweetness of dates. Using dates in a Middle East inspired perfume is nothing new, second only to oud in popularity. We’ve seen dates in many other such perfumes– Memo’s Abu Dhabi, Maison Martin Margiela’s Replica Across Sands, Montale’s Arabians Musk, Zoologist Perfumes’ Camel and so many more. A very popular choice to invoke the desert and Middle Eastern regions to speak to an international market.
There’s something special about the Ajwa Date accord as compared to a general date accord. It is a somewhat dry variety with a mild sweetness and fruity profile. It has a deep dark colour, a brown that almost seems black. The texture is slightly pruny on the outside and on the tongue, it is wonderfully soft. As it is a rather traditional variety that has been cultivated over centuries, its fragrance forms an immediate association with the traditions of the region. It touches on emotional connections that people in the region would have to their home.
Black Pepper brings in the fresh, hot sensation. It’s sharp and bright with some warmth that invokes the hot sun above and the desert sand below you. Grapefruit is very representative of summer, its brightness. It lends its freshness to balance out the hot black pepper and sweet dates. Together, the top notes create the impression of a desert region pretty quickly.
Underlying them are the deep, luxurious and quintessentially Middle Eastern notes of frankincense and oud. It’s rich and smoky and warm, together making for an opulent fragrance. It is an extrait de parfum, which typically involves the highest concentration of fragrant oil to carrier ratio.
How well do you think this perfume represents the Middle East?
Sowmya Gibish
