Juozas Statkevicius / Josef Statkus
Juozas Statkevicius (2004)

Years ago, back when I first got into non-mainstream perfumes, this was one of those must-try niche scents, though it seems to be discontinued and forgotten...

So what does it smell like? Well, it's a caramel/coffee gourmand fougere played against green vetiver. But somehow the whole thing smells like some sort of rare resin or fragrant rock. Or possibly the ash left over after burning Japanese lavender-scented incense. Given time, as the ornamentation fades, it ends up with a standard fougere drydown, but salty and with a pinch of caramel sweetness. But the way the caramel and coumarin melt together with a pinch of char from the coffee also creates a good impression of whiskey.

I'm impressed with the way this uses lavender, cleverly playing up its mineralic quality, and the way this uses coffee to simulate burning and incense. And also the way it uses caramel to simulate resinous sweetness and then booze. This has really interesting twists and turns and uses familiar elements in unfamiliar ways. Nicely done!

This opens with dark, spicy woods & incense, joined early on by a raw, slightly medicinal amber. lt slowly smooths out over the first hour into a woody amber, & changes very little as it dries down. The jasmine is extremely subtle to my nose. lt has medium-good projection & outstanding longevity at well over twelve hours. This fragrance gives me a feeling of comfort with a hint of strength, it is definitely unisex, & may well be worth a purchase after a couple more wearings.

I've recently re-embarked on a search to expand my very limited (but much beloved) fragrance wardrobe. I have always loved mixed incense-based fragrances but never quite felt comfortable wearing one...that is until I met Kilian's "Incense Oud." As an aside, I absolutely fell in love with Incense Oud and was fortunate to purchase an open bottle from someone who bought it and hated it. Having said that, I was eager to find a contender to Incense Oud, given that Incense Oud costs $395/1.7 ounces...quite a lump of cash.

After reading many reviews, I had high expectations for this fragrance by Josef Statkus and while it didn't disappoint, I wasn't quite taken by it. IMHO, it is going to be very difficult, if not impossible to locate a suitable substitue for Incense Oud-smile. But that having been said, this fragrance is nice. However, agreeing totally with bayKAT, some note in the drydown did not agree with me and really turned me off. Primarily because of the drydown "meltdown," the fragrance didn't quite hit the mark. Disappointment.

The opening is nicely done with a pleasant incense accord that is exotic, luxurious and not church-like...a factor I dislike in incense fragrances...churchiness-smile. Loving amber, jasmine, some patchouli, vanilla and musks, I patiently waited for any of these notes to emerge. The core floral, incense, woody and amber notes did eventually play through the initial burst of intense incense. However, on my skin and to my nose, the core notes never fully emerged and certainly not to the degree I'd hoped for (I like complex fragrances, especially florals, wood & musk mixed with incense).

I do not know if it was benzoin, coriander, cashmere wood or something else; however despite being a faiirly linear scent, a rather foul aroma wafted about 20-30 minutes into the wear. Frankly, the aroma faintly smelled like urine and I thought I must be having olfactory hallucinations after experiencing such pleasant opening & middle accords.

A completely different animal than Incense Oud, this fragrance is waaaay too masculine, animalic, musk-y, linear and uneven to be something I would ever consider wearing. The fragrance seems to lack the sensual complexity & intoxicating sillage that I require in perfumes, especially incense-based ones. For me, this Josef Statkus fragrance is a pass.

Josef Statkus EDP is fantastic. It opens with a blast of frankincense and cedarwood that brings immediately to mind of a bunch of Mike Buxton's compositions (Biehl MB03, Around Midnight) but after the initial austerity JS evolves into a smoother and incredibly comforting fragrance where vanilla and benzoin are joined by jasmine to create an unique blend that's embracing and extremely charming. Woods and frankincense are remarkable throughout perfectly balancing the sweeter drydown so to never become cloying and providing interesting edges and undertones. Refined and extraordinarely elegant.

Nice projection and good lasting power.

Let's put it simple, Josef Statkus seats somewhere between Avignon and Donna karan's Black Cashmere. Fantastic.

The opening is a beautifully done incense accord that is accomplished by undoubtedly high quality ingredients and artistic blending. The incense is luxurious and its supporting jasmine and amber elegantly round out the resinousness of the incense and wood. The core accord of incense, jasmine, and amber is reinforced in sweetness by vanilla and benzoin that provide the perfect balance. I don't determine much movement or change in the process of Josef Statkus Eau de Parfum… It is linear and it keeps a sophisticated low profile. Distinguished and interesting, it is the most elegant incense fragrance I've encountered.

WOW.... this one.... is divine, classy, royal, charming, heartwarming and smart. The whole mix of notes just perfectly supporting each other. The incense here (I detect frankincense) mixed with benzoin makes this perfume not sturdy and plays important role in camouflaging both sexes. I did a little test by putting it on my friends, and somehow when it's worn by male friend it turns to be charmingly masculine and when i put it on my female friend it turns to be divinely feminine, it think it has to do with a touch myrrh in the incense mix.Absolute thumbs up