The Holy Mountain
Apoteker Tepe (2015)

i recently purchased an apoteker tepe discovery set secondhand off of mercari. i am swooning and willing to commit crimes for some of these scents (brother night, pale fire, anabasis). however "the holy mountain" is less highly favored than many.

despite lovely smokiness and resiny notes later on in "the holy mountain" i cannot ignore the opening notes of....portapotty. i'm transported to the vault toilet at the top of millcreek canyon parking lot trailhead. i am suspecting that i might not personally like Balsam Fir as a perfume smell despite loving all conifer trees in person.

I love resinous smoky woody smells of many varieties and frankincense/olibanum could never offend me. so why does this smell like a toilet


reviewer disclaimers: i have partial anosmia and multiple chemical sensitivities so my perfume experience has been mostly limited to naturals and cleaner perfumes as i am cautious but curious. i may be experiencing more negative smells than positive smells in my olfactory bulb than many other humans. I hope you enjoy this scent more than me.

I have been on a quest for a smoky fragrance that resonates with me, and thus far, all the usual suspects just make me say to myself this is one big Beggin' Strip on my skin ("dogs don't know it's not bacon!"). I remember so many times when mixing and blending as a novice perfumer and asking friends what kind of the scent they'd love to have if I were to do a bespoke for them, "something smoky, like a campfire or burning leaves." I'd smile while rolling my eyes from the inside because I just wasn't excited with the idea. Let's face it, this just wasn't a concept that riveted me.

So I tried City of Fire, Bois d'Ascese, Bois Sikar, and while quite nice for what they are, just felt as though they were missing an element or two to keep them from making my brain feel like this is too savory for my own skin, too literal, too legible to be considered a true perfume. I get much the same feeling with overt coffee or gourmand scents. Supporting notes that become the main role don't always suit my taste. In comes Holy Mountain and suddenly it hit me: green and smoke, green and smoke.

Holy Mountain is chaparral, green and tacky, but also tarry and medicinal creosote, phenolic cade oil (juniperus oxycedrus tar), and an incense of Ponderosa Pine resin blended with olibanum. It feels like a retreat, it feels devotional, a tree-hugger's prayer, the truest smoke that I see the plumes and wisps. I am a hippie at heart, I faked until I made it as an urbanite, but I returned to where I belong, as close to the natural world as I can get, and now I am at a ritual of transformation, much like in the assumed namesake Alejandro Jodorowsky film. Then I snap out of it and am back to the humdrum work desk, feeling just a bit more inspired....and imbued with the holy smoke!

Awesome stuff.

Yes! I want to smell like I've spent years in the woods, sitting by campfires, absorbing every note of smoke and surrounding wonderfulness.

Amazing. Bombastic. Perfect.

Updated review: Wow! What a fifference five years makes! I just wore some of this from my sample and it is amazing! Obviously the change was in me much more than it was in this fragrance...excellent work! From thumbs down to two thumbs up!!! My nose needed some training...LOL.

Holy Mountain is a multi layered thick verdant tapestry of resins and northern woods incense. You might smell like this if you went into retreat deep in the mountain forest and became part of the air, the land and of all things dark green and wooded. I can see remnants of Fir Needle Essence from Mandy Aftel and the early deep green scents from Slumberhouse, particularly Jeke comes to mind. I think Holy Mountain is a terrific combination of these deep green essences which smelled all together creates a transcendent experience from the timeless inner world of this mountain wilderness. I like this fragrance very much. Wearing it creates a healing of sorts in the spirit of the wearer. Clean pine and fir with reverberant incense. It lasts only a short time in its bold resinous glory before retreating to a soft green skin scented reminder that stays through the day. I recommend Holy Mountain. I also like every scent I've tried from Apoteker Tepe who seem to be inspired by aromas taken from the word of natural wonders from aa variety circumstances. This is a very nice one.