Malt Amber

Malt Amber chases By Kilian's Single Malt, the niche gourmand-woody whose name says it all: a smooth, boozy whisky note over delicately sugared plum. The dupe opens true to form - a barely-ripe plum, jammy and a little sweet, carrying that unmistakable boozy lift even though whisky is never officially listed. A soft wheat in the heart adds a faintly cereal, malted warmth that bridges into the base, where the two converge: a sweet vanilla wrapped in ambery tolu balsam and dry cedar, with a thread of smoke emerging on the drydown just as PP wearers describe. Where the Kilian is all about elegance and slow, deliberate development - refined enough for formal wear yet comforting enough for every day - Malt Amber leans the plum and vanilla a touch sweeter and the whisky nuance a shade less nuanced, so it reads cosier and more straightforwardly gourmand than the original's clever, balanced perfumery. PP customers rate it very close to the real thing, a well-done boozy masculine, and for budget money it is a satisfying way into the Single Malt idea. A warm, intoxicating scent for autumn and winter evenings, dates and cosy nights. Longevity is good for a budget oil, holding its boozy-plum heart for several hours.