SPIRIT OF KINGS
ALTAIR

2019

PERFUMER
Christian Provenzano

Ylang-Ylang
Truffle
Lemon
Jasmine
Gardenia
Bergamot
Mandarin
Orange
Blackcurrant

Lotus
Ylang-Ylang
Jasmine
Spicy notes
Fruity Notes
Gardenia

Patchouli
Amber
Musk
Vanilla
Vetiver

Spirit Of Kings is an affordable line for the quality you get; the blending Christian Provenzano did for these in particular is great. The bottles are nice too, with pressurized atomizers. The big downside for me is the lack of originality. I haven’t tried all from the house, but the handful that I tried all reminded me of other popular fragrances like Aventus, Afternoon Swim and in this case, Black Orchid.

Altair seems to be Spirit Of Kings’ take on the style of Tom Ford Black Orchid. It’s similar, although I pick up on some differences. Black Orchid happens to be one of my all time favorites, especially on women and I personally own Tiziana Terenzi’s Maremma, which is another solid alternative. Altair might be my favorite and the most easy to wear out of the 3 based on my first impressions.

In the opening you get most of the distinct floral touches; to my nose the ylang-ylang is noticeable. There’s a hint of fruitiness, but not as much as the note breakdown seems to suggest; it’s soft and sweet overall; I get the blackcurrant, but not much of (acidity from the) citrus. What you do get is a chocolately sweet patchouli. Where Altair shines is how smooth this aspect of the composition is. Black Orchid feels darker, slightly indolic, more earthy (the EDP, the 2020 Parfum is even more similar to this). Altair leans a bit more towards sweet and ‘safe’ white florals, with more of a tropical twist, rather than indolic and earthy.

For anyone who likes this style of fragrance, Altair should be a no-brainer. The quality and smoothness is hard to beat and it’s reasonably priced for what you get (€120/100ml at launch). I just wish the perfumer would use his talent for more original works than this.