PARFUM D’EMPIRE
AMBRE RUSSE

2003

PERFUMER
Marc-Antoine Corticchiato

Vodka
Champagne

Cinnamon
Leather
Tea
Coriander
Birch
Juniper

Amber
Ambergris
Incense
Musk

Since I started reviewing fragrances as a hobby in 2019, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir has remained my quintessential amber fragrance to reference. And while Grand Soir will always be the ‘cozy go-to’ pick and key to the frame of reference for ambers for me, Ambre Russe is up there as a serious contender.

I’d tried Ambre Russe several times before, placed it on my wishlist and forgot about it. Last month I was doing some sampling with friends and Ambre Russe stood out so much for all of us, that I knew I finally had to get it.

Perhaps not a fair comparison to Grand Soir, because Ambre Russe contains actual ambergris and it has a different scent-profile. That being said, with the sweetness I can definitely still view this is an amber scent.

It’s the perfect balance of sweet, aided by a boozy opening and smoky tinge. The (black) tea, birch and incense create this bitter tobacco like sensation and it’s lovely. The sweetness is more on the honeyed side, but it’s intertwined with the fresher boozy opening, before ultimately overtaking it.

For me that booziness defines Ambre Russe; it lists vodka, champagne and juniper, creating a more lively and fresh boozy sensation versus the rum, cognac or whiskey booze that we often get in this genre. For a minute, texture wise it feels almost watery and smoky at the same way the birch and ambergris play together in Creed Aventus. After that the fragrance becomes rather dry.

One thing I don’t get from this is leather, even though it’s listed and people often mention it. To my nose this reads as a pipe tobacco, amber, incense, booze, spices (cinnamon mostly) and more, but not at any point as a leather.

With its quality, the ambergris and the price point (€110/50ml), Ambre Russe feels like a yesteryear’s deal that’s becoming rare to come by with niche prices exploding (and quality degrading?).