When perfumers want to create a smoky effect, they have all manner of tricks at their disposal. They might use birch tar, cade or guaiac wood to evoke bonfires and smouldering logs, lapsang style tea notes for a more diffused haze, or incense materials such as frankincense and myrrh to conjure curling church smoke and sacred rituals.
Oudh – the dark, resinous wood prized for its nuanced depths – is another star player, bringing mysterious, smouldering shadows, especially when paired with leather, labdanum and patchouli. Even “foodie” notes like caramel, toasted sugar, peaty whisky or tobacco can be charred at the edges in a formula, suggesting everything from roasted chestnuts to the last glowing coals of a festive fire. If Santa is going to smell smoky, these are the kinds of notes that will have him leaving a truly memorable trail behind the sleigh.
So, should Father Christmas wish to level up his scented game this year – whether he is whooshing down chimneys or simply dancing around the tree – these five fragrances would suit him (or any smoke‑loving wearer) perfectly…
Sarah Baker Tartan Cask
Tartan Cask smells like Santa has slipped away from the workshop to a Highland hunting lodge, wrapped in a woollen blanket with a glass of something seriously peaty in hand. Well, we’ve long had suspicions that the elves do all the actual work and the snowy-haired one gets all the glory while boozing it up, instead! Lean into the relaxation vibe via peaty whisky, bread and hops give an almost chewy, malty opening, as though nosing a cask‑strength dram beside a bar laden with crusty loaves and ale. Smoke, cedar and Buddha wood billow in like log‑fire fumes caught in thick tweed, while moss, labdanum, leather, heather and tobacco add damp‑stone atmospherics and a gently boozy fug. The overall effect is deliciously smoky, mossy and lived‑in – the kind of scent Santa might wear on his off‑duty Boxing Day walk through the hills.
£165 for 50ml extrait de parfum in the Shop