Decades ago when I was young and innocent, I was given a tiny bottle of genuine ambergris. In those days such things were still available, before most us knew about the plight of whales - I would refuse it now that I know, but at the time it was an addictive, heavenly, indescribable scent, evoking many emotional responses from anyone who caught a whiff. All I can say is that it was reminiscent of the sea, sultry and subtle yet powerful, alluring.
Most imitations of ambergris are nothing like the real thing - too sweet, too chemical, lacking the heady opulence and wonderful buttery/oily quality - but this comes as close as any I've found. Yes, that one dose of the real thing was free, and I've craved a reasonably close facsimile ever since I accidentally dropped and broke that tiny bottle (and kept the shards in a tightly sealed container for years...)
When the research on whales first came to light, it made perfect sense to me, because the scent of ambergris is like the sound of whale-song if you can imagine it - plaintive, assertive, fathomless. I'm so glad that we're no longer harvesting whales like ears of corn, and I'm grateful that this scent comes closer to what I remember than anything else that I've found, though with only a slight suggestion of ambergris at first and an uncharacteristic (but in no way offensive) powdery dry down, at least on my skin. Memorable in itself, and evocative of the genuine item.
