NASOMATTO
BARAONDA
2016
PERFUMER
Alessandro Gualtieri
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Whiskey
Woody Notes
Ambrette
Rose
Ambroxan
Musk
REVIEW
Baraonda is one of those fragrances that everyone that’s into fragrances at some point gets introduced to. I feel like it’s the most popular fragrance from Nasomatto alongside Black Afgano and it’s a common recommendation for a boozy fragrance. Does it live up to the hype?
Well, I’ve sampled it extensively and bought it, so yes, it deserves the acclaim in my opinion. To me Baraonda feels very boozy, but not intoxicating, if that makes any sense. I get the smell of whiskey, but it’s never to the extent that it can get nauseating, which a lot of boozy scents can be for me. Mostly however, Baraonda is a woody scent. To speak in clichés: ‘it smells like the barrel the whiskey aged in’ more so than it’s contents.
Furthermore, the whole wear has a fruity sweet tinge. To my nose there’s a strong dried fruit vibe, although not listed in the note breakdown. Rose is listed and I can imagine that being part of what I’m getting at (thinking of how rose and sweet wood come across in something like Guerlain Santal Royal). There’s also ambrette seed giving a warm musky vibe, which I think can also give off that dried fruitiness. Some wafts I even wonder if there could be carrot seed oil in here. Either way, it’s beautiful and not so sweet that it takes away from being a boozy scent at it’s core for me until the late drydown
.
Performance wise this does really well on my skin, although Unique’e Luxury’s (too) similar Kutay outperforms it royally still. It’s an extrait, so longevity is there, but I also smell it for most of the wear. I assume is the musk and ambroxan that carry the scent, but I don’t think it smells like any typical ambroxan/molecule-esque scents. It’s an opulent scent, that’s surprisingly smooth and easy to wear compared to Gualtieri’s other creations that I’ve smelled. A true masterpiece deserving of it’s reputation. Oh, and how can you not love these caps!