Inquisitive
Boadicea the Victorious

Based on the notes, I was expecting a traditional chypre with some oud in it, but that's not what Inquisitive smells like at all. Instead, it's a murky, richly concentrated mix that comes across like especially dark pine fused with burnt caramel - It gives the effect of inky, wood-laden booze, somewhere between a piney gin and a really old smokey whiskey.

Inquisitive feels very linear, but it's actually so thickly concentrated that it takes around 24 hours to slowly tell its story. Hours in, it looses its boozy quality while the resins and the rubbery oud appear, creating a woody but chemical fertilizer smell that reminds me of Miracle-Gro (if this sounds like an insult, it isn't - it's a captivating smell). Then, many hours further, a campfire oud becomes the star.

As for a rating, I'm conflicted. This is an interesting smell, but its strength (its intense concentration) is also its weakness (it takes forever to evolve, so it feels linear and uncompelling). Also, it's almost devoid of light. There's no brightness or sparkle to break up the dark monotony. It seems to think it's a deeply studied art piece, but it kind of feels like a pretentious goth listening to Joy Division in the dark thinking he's smarter than everyone when he really isn't. In the end, I've found it interesting enough to keep me sniffing, so I'm voting thumbs up, with the caveat that I'd never pay $850 for this.