Photo Credit: Mohamed Mostafa Photography
There are plenty of tobacco-based fragrances out there, but I don't know of too many that pair the tobacco note with sticky sweet honey. 1981X, a recreation of Xerjoff's Naxos (from the XJ 1861 series), is plenty top-heavy with that honey note, especially in the opening. Vanilla-like tonka bean adds some softness to the honey, but it's when you get 20-30 seconds into the opening that you have the realization: there's something a bit dark and spicy in here, anchoring everything.
Hello, tobacco.
As the honey and tonka bean/vanilla start to wane just a bit, that spicy tobacco note comes through more and more, as does the lavender, and maybe even a bit of the cinnamon. That's about as far as you'll get into noticing specific notes. There's supposed to be some citrus elements buried in here, in the form of lemon and bergamot, but if they're in here, it's mostly as background noise, brightening up the honey-tobacco-vanilla accord just slightly.
I've compared this to the original Xerjoff scent, and there is barely enough difference to even bother discussing it. The recreation is stunningly accurate, and it has massive staying power into the 8-10 hour range.
The honey never really disappears, so it's tempting to grade this as a gourmand, but it's not quite in that category. Close enough to get a nod, though.
Overall, an extremely satisfying foray into some unique territory, and a very addictive fragrance that is highly suited for colder weather.
Notes: Honey, Tonka Bean, Tobacco, Lavender, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Cashmeran, Bergamot, Lemon, Jasmine Sambac
9/10 stars.
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