The Peradam
Apoteker Tepe (2015)

Initially, a smell like wet cardboard. This quickly burns off somewhat, though it lingers in the background for a while. The exotic note of jasmine appears, with a bit of cool metallic edge perhaps due to the silvery iris. There is an interesting earthy note, perhaps it is the lily. The sandalwood is muted. For me, the scent is interesting but I don't share in the rave reviews.

Ineffable beauty

There are some scents that are so beautiful and moving, you can only grasp at metaphors that border on the histrionic. At first, The Peradam struck me speechless. I could have said it has a heart of orris like French butter kissing sandalwood, shrouded in a veil of ghostly jasmine, but this does not capture it at all. I'm afraid I still can't think of another way to describe it except "anointing oneself with the tears of a long suffering god."

A stunning, compelling scent. For me it is an animalic iris sandalwood, the lily isn't very prominent or long-lasting on my skin. Truly unique, and sadly discontinued. The whole Apoteker Tepe line was very interesting and original, I feel lucky to own four of the scents.

BLUF: Lily and orris done to near perfection. Earthy, animalic, breathtaking, unisex floral/woody. Would run into a burning building to save. About 1.5% of perfumes I've rated on Basenotes get five stars. The Peradam is one of them.

I think this is an outstanding, one-of-a-kind fragrance. When I first tried it in 2016, it was one of the handful of times where upon first sniff, I was utterly moved and left speechless. The Peradam has the distinction of being able to do that to me time and time again. It's easy to be wowed the first time you try something. Not as easy to happen on the twentieth. It isn't 'pretty' but bewitching nonetheless.

It opens with a blast of realistic white lily, stem and all (true lily, genus lilium - not lily of the valley), paired with a dense, doughy, unapologetically stark orris root. It smells gray/white to me. This is where most of the floral animalism lies, considering the realism of the lily note. That 'imperfect' narcotic intensity is what I love about lily. There's jasmine here too, rounding and filling out the earthy floral space...although this floralcy is so distinctive and uncommon, using the word 'floral' is misleading, but it's the best I can do.

The lily mellows and becomes enveloped by the orris and vaguely sandalwoody base. Although not listed, to me the backbone seems also to be comprised of smidgen of vetiver and/or costus. In a way it is rather linear, in that the opening and drydown aren't all that different, but the orris is so multifaceted that it is never a boring ride.

An impressive display of skill and the imagination to do something original with orris butter, creating an atmosphere of earthy/rooty floral smells that is more environment than perfume. Not surprising, considering this is dosed with a healthy amount of natural materials.

I don't have a lot of regrets in my perfumed life, but I do wish I made more of an effort to shine a light on Apoteker Tepe, which is sadly defunct as of March 2018. I'd say "must sample for any fans of orris" but that'd just be cruel.

I'm hoping the love from Turin & Sanchez and accompanying (albeit small) resurgence in interest might nudge perfumer/proprietor Holladay Saltz to reboot the house. Probably not, but one can hope.