Scents of Wood Plum in Cognac EDP

Description

Plum in Cognac is a boozy, fruit-soaked gourmand that was literally finished in a barrel. The perfume concentrate is aged in a vintage French oak cognac cask before bottling. That barrel-ageing is the whole idea behind Scents of Wood, the house Fabrice Croisé founded in 2020 to treat fragrance the way a cellar master treats spirits, pairing each composition with a specific wood. This one was composed by Pascal Gaurin and launched the same year. It opens on dark purple plum drenched in rum absolute and dusted with cinnamon bark, turns honeyed and faintly maple-like through immortelle, broom and osmanthus, and settles into a warm, resinous drydown of Peru balsam, cistus, vanilla and Haitian vetiver. Reviewers describe it as a plum brandy by the fire, rich and dessert-adjacent, but held in check by the dry vetiver and the wood.

Scent Character

Translation: half of the character is sweetness (stewed plum, rum and vanilla) with the other half split evenly between cinnamon spice and a resinous balsam-and-cistus warmth. There are no florals or fresh notes pulling it lighter, which is why it reads as a cold-weather gourmand rather than a fruity daytime scent.

Fragrance Pyramid

• Top: Purple Plum, Rum Absolute, Cinnamon Bark
• Heart: Immortelle, Honeyed Broom, Osmanthus
• Base: Peru Balsam, Cistus (Labdanum), Vanilla, Haitian Vetiver

Note: in 2024 Scents of Wood released Plum in Cognac Vintage 24, a recalibrated version built around a new cognac barrel after the original cask was exhausted. Reviewers find it less boozy, more gourmand and more vetiver-forward. This listing follows the original composition.

Performance

Longevity: Around 5–8 hours on skin, longer on scarves and knitwear.
Sillage: Moderate. A warm, noticeable trail for the first two to three hours, then closer to the skin.
Projection: One to two feet early on, settling to arm's length.

An honest note: reviewer reports range from about five hours to a full working day, and skin chemistry seems to decide it. Treat it as a rich scent with polite manners rather than a beast-mode projector, which is exactly what makes it wearable.

Best Occasions & Season

Made for Fall and Winter. It is at its best in the evening (dinners, bars, anywhere with low light) and its moderate projection means it also works in a cool-weather office without overwhelming the room. Unisex. Skip it in summer heat, when the rum-and-plum sweetness can turn syrupy.

Concentration & Provenance

Concentration: Eau de Parfum
Perfumer: Pascal Gaurin
House: Scents of Wood, founded by Fabrice Croisé, ageing each fragrance in a wooden barrel
Launched: 2020; recalibrated as Vintage 24 in 2024
Bottle: ships with either a gold or a black cap. The colour cannot be chosen at checkout

Try Before You Commit

Boozy gourmands divide people, and the rum note in particular is love-or-leave. A hand-poured 1mL decant is $5.99, enough for two or three evenings, which is all it takes to know whether the plum brandy is yours.

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FAQ

Is Plum in Cognac men's or women's?
Unisex. The fruit and vanilla lean sweet, the cinnamon, balsam and vetiver lean dry and warm, and it wears equally well on either side.

Does it actually smell of cognac?
It smells boozy, mostly through the rum absolute, and the barrel-ageing adds a subtle woody roundness. Think plum brandy and warm spice rather than a literal glass of cognac.

Does it contain oud?
No. There is no agarwood in it. The dark, resinous warmth comes from Peru balsam, cistus (labdanum) and vanilla.

What is the difference from Plum in Cognac Vintage 24?
Vintage 24 is the 2024 recalibration made for a new cognac barrel. Reviewers describe it as less boozy and more gourmand, with more vetiver and less rum than the original.