Amber 7
Eau de Parfum, Czech & Speake (2024)

Czech & Speake Amber 7 is one of the most interesting recent releases (2024) in niche perfumery imo and a fragrance I particularly enjoy to wear (from a fantastic evocative conceptual british brand that I really love). This creation is a woody aromatic fragrance for men (despite labeled as unisex). It should be immediately clarified that the name Amber 7 chosen for this perfume could be misleading, in fact the amber is somewhat shady (or rather it is present in fair amount but the "ambergris effect" is felt above all in the spicy-rough, virile, vaguely saline and scratchy warm finish typical of ambergris-featured creations), while the real protagonists of the olfactory work are thyme, bergamot/lime, ginger, woody/earthy notes and above all rosemary and eucalyptus, true actors of this modern but neo-classical and gentlemanly charismatic fragrance in British style (in the same clan or mood as woodsy aromatic spicy warm fragrances as the more incensey 7 de Loewe 2010, Bon Parfumeur 701 Eucalyptus, Amber, White Wood 2017, Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily 2008, Clive Christian No.1 2001or Penhaligons Juniper Sling 2011, all minty, woody, aromatic fragrances evocative of high mountain scenery with a warm, spicy, charismatic, virile and intimate-sensual finish). Amber 7 is an olfactory journey at sunset, which evokes in me the image of a sunset in the high mountains with the dark silhouettes of the fir trees standing out against the golden/dark sky. The opening is a breath of bergamot and green-balsamic notes (with a dominant eucalyptus-rosemary combo on my skin and a noticeable aromatic ginger yet in support), like laurel leaves brushed by the wind in a secret garden, which immediately warms with a heart of ginger (growing up along the way) and myrtle, ancient spices dancing slowly over burning embers. Then everything settles into a deep bed of amber, with nuances of vanilla, cistus and benzoin, barely sweet and masterly blended, embraced by warm resins, sacred woods and earthy patchouli. Amber 7 is the scent of memory, intimate yet timeless. An elegant and enveloping woody-aromatic-oriental, that doesn't shout, but seduces with a low, velvety voice (vaguely reminiscent of that sacred atmosphere of some Asian Buddhist villages immersed in the mist of the high mountains). Performances are average on me.

A new scent from British house Czech & Speake, purchased as a sample with a bundle of other new scents, mostly EDP-concentrate reformulations of various favourites.

A7 is a well-designed and well-balanced amber. Personally, I can find amber scents overpowering and almost edible. The theory is good but I tend to experience them as a little nauseating. The note profile in A7 includes ginger, most notable in male perfumery from Gucci Envy in the 90s.

To my nose, A7 avoids all of the pitfalls that could be present. It goes on quite lightly with touches of citrus and aromatics, but increases in potency as the heart notes develop. Ginger and other notes come together in the ensemble, with nothing overpowering the rest. Finally, there is a hint of guaiac style smoke, redolent of stablemate Spanish Cedar, but much more subtle.

Czech & Speake is a house I have come to like, the more so as I think about what they do and how they do it. Not for them copious releases or reformulations. The blurb suggests that A7 has been some time in the design, and this shows for me. I'm not sure how this will be received by amber aficionados who like their ambers strong and uncompromising, but A7 is wearable, well designed, and a terrific addition to the house's offering.