Sweets for the Sweet...Reglisse Noire by 1000 Flowers

By Tom Anise can be a tricky note in perfumes. For me there's always the spectre of something like Blue Sugar, which I wrote smelled like deep-fried black licorice However in the hands of Jessica September Buchanan, the Grasse-trained Canada based nose behind 1000 Flowers, this is a black licorice that’s more Pernod-fueled romp than trip to the candy store. I think the key is that the black licorice is never alone: it starts being cut by shiso and brightened by mint and pepper while in the heart it's cut with ginger and cocoa. In the drydown it gets seriously sexy with vanilla, vetiver, musk and a twist of patchouli. It does a yin and yang thing of being both sweet and dark; it’s a sultry night at the Sazerac Bar. It's cocktails, whispers, intimate laughter that may lead to perhaps taking a room for the night: a frolic, a fancy, an adventure that's not for the kiddies... In an extra flourish of eco-friendliness, 1000 Flowers has created a bottle that’s refillable, with a special threaded atomizer that can lock for travel, while the box itself is made from British Columbia cedar, a product of leftovers from home building. It’s always nice to see that level of detail in both the scent and the packaging. Available at Indiescents.com, $100 for 50ML. I received my sample from Indiescents.