Sayat NovaWoody Fruity Extrait de Parfum

Sayat Nova by Bortnikoff is a niche woody, fruity, and liqueur-like perfume extract, unisex, co-created by Dmitry Bortnikov and Rajesh Balkrishnan. Released in 2020 as a limited edition, it belongs to the Exotics Collection.

A Thai house where the founder is also the perfumer

Bortnikoff is based in Thailand, in the very heart of the agarwood-producing regions. It was founded by Dmitry Bortnikov, a Russian perfumer who is both the owner and the nose of his brand, and who works with wild Thai ouds, sourcing his materials at the source. For the Exotics Collection, he worked with Rajesh Balkrishnan: three fragrances — Sayat Nova, Santa Sangre, and Scheherazade — crafted from absolutes collected on three continents. 50 ml bottle.

An opening of apricot and narcissus

Apricot opens the fragrance, ripe and candied, almost boozy. Narcissus accompanies it — a flower that is green, honeyed, and slightly animalic all at once, one of the most expensive materials in perfumery.

A heart of rum and vanilla

Rum brings its boozy warmth and barrel roundness, while vanilla adds a balsamic rather than sugary sweetness. Just two materials, and the fragrance becomes truly liqueur-like.

A base of three ouds and oakmoss

Laotian oud, Bengali oud, and Trat oud — distilled especially for this creation — form the foundation. Oakmoss holds them in a damp, slightly bitter freshness. The longevity is long, and the trail is enveloping.

The house's signature

Nine materials, including three ouds: one-third of the formula is agarwood. The subject is the inspiration. Sayat-Nova was an Armenian poet and troubadour of the 18th century, a man who traveled and sang in several languages — hence these three origins of agarwood, and these absolutes gathered on three continents. The fragrance does not tell the story of a place, but of a journey. Second point: the base rests on oakmoss, the historic material of French chypre fragrances, today strictly regulated by European regulations. Placing three oriental ouds on a chypre foundation is to bring together two traditions — exactly what the poet did.

For whom, for what occasions?

Woody, fruity, and liqueur-like, this extract is for those who love boozy candied fruits backed by real oud. It gives its best from autumn to winter, in the evening, and is equally suitable for women and men.

With Sayat Nova Bortnikoff, Dmitry Bortnikov and Rajesh Balkrishnan bottle the journey of a traveling poet.