Egyptian Smoke
Dunhill (2021)

Had this been released by, say, Cartier (and it easily might have been; you could convince me it's a Laurent creation given the smoothness of the blend), this would probably be celebrated for its accomplishment in the designer space.

The name was a poor choice. It suggests something rich and heavy, but Dunhill's Egyptian Smoke is actually a very pleasant, creamy rose scent with enough woodiness to skew masculine. It's somewhat adjacent to Ambre Nuit without being a copycat.

The rose here is fresh and round, accented by ginger and supported by papyrus and black tea, all of which tease that rose into a more abstract, slightly vegetal territory. The tea is the only thing bringing any "smoke" into this fragrance, but this isn't a rubbery black tea note. It's very polite, almost delicate. There's a sense in which this might smell like a cup of lightly sweetened rose tea with cream added.

The base is a polite, and not too sweet, amber, skewing slightly towards doughiness (working nicely with the fresh rose in the heart). The patchouli adds a bit of bitterness to keep things balanced.

All in all, this is very elegant, and far and away the best thing from Dunhill's Signature line.