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The coup
It was the most successful haul of the past year, in a way. A freighter full of rum from Barbados, the hold of the Miss Fortune overflowing. The crew's mood was correspondingly good, the performance rather poorer, they had to be held back a little, otherwise there wouldn't be much left to sell later. A problem, but solvable.
The desk was a bigger problem. The captain of the freighter had literally forced it on him, so our captain couldn't say no. But it was also an exquisite piece. Almost black wood with lighter inlays and a work surface made of the finest brown leather. It even had a secret compartment, which unfortunately didn't contain any gold, just spices, but still. And the smell: sweet rum, dark wood, leather, spices and the captain of the freighter had probably not been averse to tobacco either. Perfect, except for the size.
The desk just about fitted into the captain's cabin. As a result, you bumped into something every time you moved. The freighter's cabin was much larger than that of the Miss Fortune, but it had considerably more cannons. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. In any case, a solution had to be found, all the bruises and bumps were too unpleasant in the long run. He could ask Angel to shorten the table. Angel was a virtuoso with the axe, but he wasn't really good at delicate work. No, he couldn't do that to the beautiful piece.
It would probably be a long night with a lot of brooding. Fortunately, there was enough rum...
-------------------------
Rum, like other spirits such as whiskey or cognac (brandy), as the main ingredient in fragrances seems to tempt perfumers to enhance the respective characteristics of the spirit with corresponding notes. Sweet rum is then made even sweeter by adding sugar, molasses or honey; the vanilla, toffee or caramel notes inherent to whiskey (bourbon) are enhanced; the fruity or even floral notes inherent to cognac or brandy are additionally emphasized. There is a risk of it becoming too much, too sweet, too rich. Then add a little wood and resin and we find ourselves with the extremely popular fragrances from Kilian & Co. Personally, I don't like this direction, I can no longer recognize any details under all the sweet stuff and ultimately all these fragrances seem too similar, smooth and characterless to me.
Fortunately, Olivia Giacobetti is a perfumer who understands her craft and has a sense of restraint, so she doesn't fall into this genre trap. The rum in Idole de Lubin is not even that different from other boozy creations from the competition. Aromatic, sweet, with hints of sugar cane and molasses. There is also a slight vanilla note for me, but perhaps that is just the expectation I have of such a rum. However, it is not placed in the center of attention and exaggerated, but is counterbalanced by very spicy notes and dark woods, which dampen the sweetness. The spices are relatively impenetrable, a little peppery, some cinnamon perhaps, but I don't recognize saffron. The wood or woods are dark, dry and somewhat smoky, with incense also playing a role here. The bitter orange doesn't play a role for me, you don't necessarily need it with good rum, it's just decoration. In any case, the interplay of the components is finely composed, or, to stay with the image, the desk is very delicately crafted. No comparison to the heavy-duty fragrances in the first paragraph.
Towards the base, the rum recedes and is replaced by amber, here with a slight aroma of dried fruit. The sweetness is similar to that of the rum, pleasant, not exaggerated. Cistus plays no role for me, or only as a resin. What does play a role is the leather. It is warm, soft, smooth and dark brown (noble and dignified). Like other previous speakers, I also have the feeling that it contains some tobacco. With the fruity notes of amber, it has the effect of pipe tobacco.
What sets Idole de Lubin pleasantly apart from its competitors is not only its delicate design, but above all its subdued volume and a longevity that is not measured in days. I can therefore imagine the fragrance not only in winter, but also on a mild spring evening. Here's to an unsweetened rum without any decorations, thanks to Floyd!
-------------------------
very brief digression on rum:
The rum in this fragrance is a very high quality, modern, i.e. sweet rum. I'm thinking of a medium-priced Zacapa rum (they are around 50-60 euros and are overpriced in my opinion, you can get it cheaper from Plantation). This type of rum, like the vast majority of rums nowadays (even the high-priced ones), is colored with sugar couleur (it's cheaper than long storage in barrels) and sugar is added before bottling (sometimes up to 50 g/l, which is actually already a liqueur). This makes the rum softer and smoother, deprives it of any characteristics and thus unfortunately also a good deal of its individuality. However, it corresponds to the taste of the masses. Of course, there is also rum without sugar, but you have to look for it.
More information for those interested: https://www.rumundco.de/magazin/die-zuckerung-von-rum-ein-blick-hinter-die-kulissen/
The desk was a bigger problem. The captain of the freighter had literally forced it on him, so our captain couldn't say no. But it was also an exquisite piece. Almost black wood with lighter inlays and a work surface made of the finest brown leather. It even had a secret compartment, which unfortunately didn't contain any gold, just spices, but still. And the smell: sweet rum, dark wood, leather, spices and the captain of the freighter had probably not been averse to tobacco either. Perfect, except for the size.
The desk just about fitted into the captain's cabin. As a result, you bumped into something every time you moved. The freighter's cabin was much larger than that of the Miss Fortune, but it had considerably more cannons. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. In any case, a solution had to be found, all the bruises and bumps were too unpleasant in the long run. He could ask Angel to shorten the table. Angel was a virtuoso with the axe, but he wasn't really good at delicate work. No, he couldn't do that to the beautiful piece.
It would probably be a long night with a lot of brooding. Fortunately, there was enough rum...
-------------------------
Rum, like other spirits such as whiskey or cognac (brandy), as the main ingredient in fragrances seems to tempt perfumers to enhance the respective characteristics of the spirit with corresponding notes. Sweet rum is then made even sweeter by adding sugar, molasses or honey; the vanilla, toffee or caramel notes inherent to whiskey (bourbon) are enhanced; the fruity or even floral notes inherent to cognac or brandy are additionally emphasized. There is a risk of it becoming too much, too sweet, too rich. Then add a little wood and resin and we find ourselves with the extremely popular fragrances from Kilian & Co. Personally, I don't like this direction, I can no longer recognize any details under all the sweet stuff and ultimately all these fragrances seem too similar, smooth and characterless to me.
Fortunately, Olivia Giacobetti is a perfumer who understands her craft and has a sense of restraint, so she doesn't fall into this genre trap. The rum in Idole de Lubin is not even that different from other boozy creations from the competition. Aromatic, sweet, with hints of sugar cane and molasses. There is also a slight vanilla note for me, but perhaps that is just the expectation I have of such a rum. However, it is not placed in the center of attention and exaggerated, but is counterbalanced by very spicy notes and dark woods, which dampen the sweetness. The spices are relatively impenetrable, a little peppery, some cinnamon perhaps, but I don't recognize saffron. The wood or woods are dark, dry and somewhat smoky, with incense also playing a role here. The bitter orange doesn't play a role for me, you don't necessarily need it with good rum, it's just decoration. In any case, the interplay of the components is finely composed, or, to stay with the image, the desk is very delicately crafted. No comparison to the heavy-duty fragrances in the first paragraph.
Towards the base, the rum recedes and is replaced by amber, here with a slight aroma of dried fruit. The sweetness is similar to that of the rum, pleasant, not exaggerated. Cistus plays no role for me, or only as a resin. What does play a role is the leather. It is warm, soft, smooth and dark brown (noble and dignified). Like other previous speakers, I also have the feeling that it contains some tobacco. With the fruity notes of amber, it has the effect of pipe tobacco.
What sets Idole de Lubin pleasantly apart from its competitors is not only its delicate design, but above all its subdued volume and a longevity that is not measured in days. I can therefore imagine the fragrance not only in winter, but also on a mild spring evening. Here's to an unsweetened rum without any decorations, thanks to Floyd!
-------------------------
very brief digression on rum:
The rum in this fragrance is a very high quality, modern, i.e. sweet rum. I'm thinking of a medium-priced Zacapa rum (they are around 50-60 euros and are overpriced in my opinion, you can get it cheaper from Plantation). This type of rum, like the vast majority of rums nowadays (even the high-priced ones), is colored with sugar couleur (it's cheaper than long storage in barrels) and sugar is added before bottling (sometimes up to 50 g/l, which is actually already a liqueur). This makes the rum softer and smoother, deprives it of any characteristics and thus unfortunately also a good deal of its individuality. However, it corresponds to the taste of the masses. Of course, there is also rum without sugar, but you have to look for it.
More information for those interested: https://www.rumundco.de/magazin/die-zuckerung-von-rum-ein-blick-hinter-die-kulissen/
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