Iskander
Eau de Parfum, Parfum d'Empire (2006)

Iskander is Corticchiato’s entry into the standard chypre genre, and I deliberately use the word standard. The template is followed to the letter, which means there is hardly anything noteworthy on the side of novelty to this perfume, but the noteworthiness of it is due simply to Corticchiato’s unique and enviable style of excellent materials delivered with extreme clarity. The orange and grapefruit top is just as sour and zesty as you’d hope and expect it to be, and absent the sulfuric acid type astringency common to grapefruit. Refreshing and invigorating. The transition of these to a tarragon and neroli heart is perfectly executed, where the neroli carries the message of refreshing citrus in its white floral softness and the tarragon providing an herbal lift. Finally, at the base, predictably, are woods and tree moss of fine quality.

There really isn’t a whole lot to say about this. I’ve smelled this structure a thousand and one times before, and I don’t have a desire to be repetitive. As it’s so derivative you get the feeling that Corticchiato is simply checking a box, which is highly unusual for Parfum d’Empire’s current lineup, but it is nonetheless very good. Superb materials delivered with superb clarity, so you buy this not for novelty but simply because you love Corticchiato’s style - which I do, so I did.

An unusually varied testing performance from this seemingly well-thought-of conventional chypre. Some days favoured the labdanum and the whole accord can be seen as a bit sweet and flabby; on others, there is an excellent citrus opening rich with spices, and a tone redolent of the classics in the genre. Not as intriguing (and simply not as good) as stablemate Azemour, and less original. However, Iskander throws up food for thought, and at its best it is pleasant to wear. I can't keep testing it, so this will not be something I spend money on, but I can see the attraction. Iskander therefore earns a highly provisional "thumbs up" rating.

I’m a huge fan of classic citrus chypres, and hearing the comparison to Eau Sauvage (one of my absolute favorites) I knew I had to try this one. Unfortunately this smells to me like a modern take on the citrus chypre, with a big sharp modern barbershop-y woody amber base that gives me a headache upon close smelling. This is exactly the same problem I had with Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree and EdP, where a beautiful citrus opening gradually gets taken over by this blue-leaning scent that I despise.

For people who are used to modern masculines with woody amber bases, this could be a great segue into more classic scents if you feel that Eau Sauvage, Pour Monsieur and similar feel too old-school for you. For the citrus chypre and vintage enthusiast, you can safely skip this one.

This opens as a lovely herbal citrus, perfect for warmer weather. It's not as aggressively synthetic as many of its peers, and the mandarin does a nice job of tempering the astringency of the grapefruit without veering into candy territory. The development isn't tremendous; but then, it's essentially a chypric eau de cologne, so the proper magic is in sustaining the top rather than in a dramatic transformation to the base, with both the sustain and transition accomplished by cultivating the orange blossom as the mandarin and grapefruit dissipate.

I have tons of vintage Eau Sauvage (and its glorious kissing cousin, Le Galion Eau Noble), which in their pre-IFRA way are more "base-heavy" for better or worse, depending on what you want. Global warming arguably tips the scales in Iskander's favor, but since I'm a sucker for a deep chypre base–and I have easily a dozen vintage eaux de cologne, as well–I'll probably stick it out with what's already in my overstuffed wardrobe.

That said, if you're looking for a current but old-school citrus chypre with good longevity and without megadoses of WACs, ambroxan, or iso E super, I would deem this nod to Alexander the Great FB-worthy. If I didn't have this ground covered and re-covered, it would be a no-brainer.

Beautifully judged citrus chypre where all the sweet backing is hidden well out of sight, giving a dry and bracing feel. The citruses here are more on the lemon side of the spectrum and rendered with an appealing bitterness of pith and peel that matches perfectly the fresh mossy impression created (quite distinct from the pines-and-prunes odour profile of something like oakmoss absolute). Harmonious aromatics (coriander and neroli), a touch of green tea mellowness and a background whisper of powdery woods lend it refinement. There's a brightness to Iskander, signalled first by the juiciness of the citruses and, when that fades, by the lively interplay of elements. What endears it to me further is that my beloved who is usually indifferent to my perfumed pursuits says I ‘smell nice' when I wear it - high praise!
Just the thing for warmer weather.

An excellent citrus, and amazingly preserved as an eau de parfum rather than an eau de cologne.

The citron, mandarin and grapefruit opening is dry and warm at the same time, reminding me a great deal of Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet. The coriander and tarragon waltz together perfectly to round it out with the herbal/spice component, and finally it is further warmed by the cedar, vetiver, oak moss, amber and musk in the base. Drydown is most reminiscent of Cartier's Declaration.

This is for me one of the best of this house's scents, rich and strong as are almost all their creations. If you are into citrus scents, this is a must try. However, for the pocket book, you can do just as well with Declaration at less than half the price of Iskander.