BDK
NUIT DE SABLE

2019

PERFUMER
Marie Schnirer

Sandalwood
Nutmeg
Cardamom

Turkish Rose
Rose
Sand

Nutmeg
Tonka Bean
Ambroxan
Musk

While my favorite BDK so far has to be Gris Charnel, to my own surprise Nuit de Sable is a close second.

Nuit De Sable threw me for a loop the first time I wore it. My initial thoughts were of rose and oud. Rose is definitely there (and listed), but it’s only a very small aspect of the fragrance, as it is quickly overpowered. Oud is not listed, so it would surprise me if it’s in Nuit De Sable, but the woodiness has such a strong punch from the get go, that it reminded me of some Westernized oud based fragrances. Very noticeable is the nutmeg however, which is always a bit harsh to my nose in the first minutes. On multiple wears I’ve definitely started seeing it more as an all out spicy fragrance. And a great spicy fragrance at that.

Give Nuit De Sable those initial minutes to settle and you learn that the woodiness becomes one of the better, milky, sandalwood notes that I’ve come across at its price point. A strong woody scent, but it wears really smooth. The nutmeg loses some sharpness, but remains a main player, together with cardamom, which I think adds an ever so slightly green tinge. It’s reminiscent of spices softened with milk. It sweetens up more within the first hour, while becoming smoother and more rounded.

All that results in a great, in my opinion strongly masculine leaning, mature scent. It reminds me of warm milk with spices on some wafts and sandalwood with a slightly green edge on others, all the while with nutmeg as the key component. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a nutmeg or cardamom heavy scent as much as this one before. Performance is also nothing to worry about and the same goes for the presentation, so in my opinion BDK knocked this one out of the park.