KILIAN
SMOKING HOT
2023
PERFUMER
Mathieu Nardin
apple hookah
cinnamon
tobacco absolute
oakmoss
bourbon vanilla
orcanox
‘Forbidden addiction… When apple steam meets tobacco smoke… The intoxicating fumes of an apple hookah, an addictive, smoky, almost caramelized tobacco. Seductive volts that mix apple and tobacco to set the night on fire. At night, there are no rules but one: just be Smoking Hot! Kilian Paris newest smoky fragrance is a truly caramelized delight. It features Kentucky Tobacco absolute, infused with a hookah drag of Apple-flavoured shisha tobacco and intense Bourbon Vanilla. Evoking everything from European clubs to Eastern hookah lounges, Smoking Hot redefines what a smokey scent is today, going almost where it’s too hot to handle.’ – Kilian
Smoking Hot fits right in with some of the other Kilian releases (like Angel’s Share & Apple Brandy), which is not necessarily a positive, as I don’t think it excels.
The first minutes are strong on the liquorice. Liquorice tobacco as in Amouage Royal Tobacco, mixed with a hint of apple. The apple continues to build for a while and in the meantime the liquorice fades a bit. A somewhat smoky, tobacco remains.
The combination gives you the promised apple hookah/shisha lounge vibe and for a moment it’s very realistic to that wet, sticky substance (more so than the smoke after using it). That being said, I don’t love it at all. It feels dense and flat. I’ve smelled it in stores 3x and wore it on skin once, but each time I felt like Smoking Hot has no top notes and little to no contrast or texture. If you compare it to for example Argos Triumph Of Bacchus; the apple there is much brighter at first, the sweetness is more pronounced later; it’s evolving during the wear; Smoking Hot doesn’t do that (yet) for me. The smell isn’t bad mind you, but it didn’t do anything for me either.
The one big transition that Smoking Hot has, is a rather disappointing drydown. The ‘apple hookah’ vibe loses its tobacco and smokiness quickly, becoming more like a (light) Apple Brandy and Angel’s Share. And then: Ambroxan.
Or in this case, orcanox, which I’ve never smelled on its own. But the scent of ambroxan takes over the entire, seemingly lengthy drydown. A pleasant, but generic and simple smell. Sweet, sugary, a bit watery even, with just a faint hint of that apple liqueur. Much brighter and easier going than the opening hour.
Overall, not a release that I’m excited for. I’d probably pick Angel’s Share and Apple Brandy (and Single Malt) over this and it falls short of some of the others in the Smokes collection in my opinion. Of course, based on first impression; I’ll try to revisit this in the Winter.