Nishane Hacivat Extrait de Parfum

Nishane calls itself the first and only Istanbul-based niche perfume brand celebrated globally, and Hacivat is the release that made the boast stick. It belongs to the brand's Shadow Play collection, named for Karagöz and Hacıvat, the two figures of traditional Turkish shadow puppet theatre. Hacıvat is the educated one, the man of manners and taste, and Nishane frames the fragrance as a tribute to elegance, kindness, competence and a love of art.

The house publishes the pyramid clearly: bergamot, pineapple and grapefruit at the top; jasmine, patchouli and cedarwood in the heart; clearwood, oakmoss and a dry timber accord at the base. It is a chypre in structure, and that is what saves it from being merely a fruity opening, because the oakmoss and woods supply the bitter mineral backbone that fruit alone cannot. The pineapple is bright and slightly green rather than tropical, the patchouli sits dry, and by the second hour the fragrance has become largely a question of wood with fruit hanging above it.

It is routinely compared with Creed Aventus by wearers, and the comparison is fair as far as the opening goes, though Hacivat is greener, less smoky and noticeably sweeter through the middle. It has become the house's calling card and one of the most recognisable niche masculines of the past decade, though plenty of women wear it and Nishane attaches no gender to it.

Wear it to occasions where you would like to be remembered. It suits air-conditioned rooms rather than open sun, and in genuine Highveld heat this concentration can become overwhelming at more than two sprays, which is worth respecting.

Performance is the reason most people buy it. Extrait concentration behaves as advertised: ten hours and upwards is normal, the first three carry heavily, and the fragrance will see out a full working day and an evening without a top-up. Nishane offers it in 15ml, 50ml and 100ml, and the smallest format is genuinely worth considering first, because the strength that wins people over is exactly the thing that puts others off. Try before you buy a large bottle.