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Generosity and Time Captured
in a Quartet of Amouage Exceptional Extraits
Pursuing its quest to push the boundaries of fragrance creation, Amouage explores the sublime union between ‘generosity’ and ‘time’ in a quartet of four Exceptional Extraits. Concentrated at the highest industry standards and aged between three to six months at the House’s Manufacture in Oman, Honour 43 Woman (First Batch), Epic 56 Woman (First Batch), Reflection 45 Man (First Batch) and Interlude 53 Man (Third Batch) each reveal hidden facets and depths that unfurl across every dimension, making them richer, more potent, and gifted with extended longevity. An aesthete’s dream born from a visionary mindset that challenges contemporary practices, the Amouage Exceptional Extraits are a rarity conceived without limit or constraint, incompatible with any approach within the industry.
Renaud Salmon, Amouage’s Chief Experience Officer, said, “The Amouage Exceptional Extraits came to life from our ambition to craft the very best perfumes we could offer. They started as an instinctive experiment because, although Amouage has created Extraits in the past, none of them had been aged to this extent at such concentrations, containing between 43% and 56% pure oils. These Exceptional Extraits require both humility and patience. Humility is needed in the face of living natural materials which are the result of the work of both nature and man, with no guarantees about how they develop and what the result will be. Patience is necessary to reflect, to age and to question, to blend components, to go back and start again, to choose a better path or to wait those long hours before the perfumes see the light of day. Each Exceptional Extrait is released only when the perfumer and myself consider that it has reached a window of expression, telling us a story that is new and exciting enough to share with discerning perfume connoisseurs.”
The Amouage Exceptional Extraits are the result of a succession of aging steps which progressively define their exquisite character. After five to ten weeks of Maturation, the concentrates reach a first plateau: they show promise, completeness and harmony. Everything is in place. This is when alcohol is carefully added and the slow Maceration stage starts: inimitable and irreproducible, it will last between three and sixteen weeks. The content of each tank is evaluated on a weekly basis, with every observation carefully noted. The perfumes progressively become more intense, precise and vibrant, energized by the transformation. A true metamorphosis: their universe expanded where all the components are completely integrated and the creations become more complex than ever.
Inspired by the legends of the Silk Road, Epic Woman (2009) is Amouage’s iconic spicy, ambery fragrance that blooms under the mystical twilight stretching between China and Arabia. With the highly concentrated Epic 56 Woman Extrait, perfumer Cecile Zarokian displays her prowess for striking the difficult yet marvelous balance of extremes at a high dosage: 56%. After almost five months of aging, the piquancy of the spices remains fiery and vibrant as it meets a deeper than ever ambery counterpart. Both extremes come together in a show stopping crescendo, revealing a faceted rose heart. Cold vibrancy meets golden warmth. Torn between shadow and light, Epic 56 Woman is a synthesis of contradictions.
The quintessence of masculine refinement, Reflection Man (2007) captures the seductive power of a man's inner strength, expressing confident and enhanced sophistication. Given the gift of time and a generous 45% concentration of perfume oil, Reflection 45 Man reveals an assertive character, delicate complexity and crystalline elegance. Created by perfumer Lucas Sieuzac, this woody floral musk scent, aged for four months, presents an elaborate scent woven through with freshness and floralcy. The composition juxtaposes bright aromatic notes, velvety orris and creamy floral notes with more sensual and enveloping layers of vetiver, patchouli and sandalwood, combined with the spices. Virile and unexpectedly soft at the same time. A luxurious modern classic.
Originally created as a Venusian ode to the fate of Madame Butterfly, Honour Woman (2011) is a consecration of poetry, beauty and femininity. A decade later, presented in a 43% perfume oil concentration, Honour 43 Woman is perfumer Alexandra Carlin’s elevated interpretation of Amouage’s heady white floral perfume. Taking it to new heights, the white flowers - Jasmine, Tuberose, Gardenia, Lily of the Valley – have been taken through a slow yet active aging process, keeping each fragile note alive and bafflingly, insolently, youthful. The four floral essences continue to evolve and be magnified: aged and richer, yet more energized. This is the confounding paradox of Honour 43 Woman and it makes the sensorial experience totally different.
Asoul-gripping explosion of balsams and spices, Interlude Man (2012) is a sublime display of a moment of harmony in the middle of the chaos. At the crossroads of extreme concentration and extended aging, Interlude 53 Man is the exceptional extrait version of perfumer Pierre Negrin’s iconic creation. Formulated at a 53% dosage and aged for 6 months in Amouage’s factory in Muscat, this third batch reveals hidden facets and depths of its original form. Where Interlude was colourful chaos, the maturity of Interlude 53 Man transmits completeness and more harmony. Every Interlude 53 Man batch is ever so slightly different: the soul of batch #3 reveals subtle notes of resins in fusion, like candied honey pouring into a tumultuous flow of dark and smoky woods.