Reviews: Guerlain Tonka Imperiale

Guerlain – Tonka Imperiale – Enjoyable but something’s lacking 7/10

High-end expensive scents are always placed under the microscope and scrutinised more than their cheaper counterparts. I guess it’s only fair. We want bang for our buck. Longevity, projection, and originality are all prime factors in deciding whether a perfume is worthy of a place in our collection. But, complexity is perhaps something I put more weight on when determining whether I pony up for a new high-price scent. Guerlain’s, Tonka Imperiale created by Thierry Wasser in 2010, part of their L’Art et La Matière lien, has been a scent I’ve come back to over the years. One I’ve enjoyed but ultimately not something I’d deemed full bottle worthy.

Recently I was going through my many decants and spotted Tonka Imperiale, so I thought I’d give it another whirl. The opening of bittersweet almonds, with the underlying Guerlainade vanillic sweetness, is indeed lovely. It’s like a butterscotch dessert in perfume form. I suppose there is a slight aromatic freshness from bergamot and rosemary. However, this freshness is only at the periphery. Tonka Imperiale never wavers from the treacly, syrupy, bakery, gourmand path that so many in this line tread.

After about 30 minutes, Tonka Imperiale’s heart of nutty tonka and smoky, honeyed tobacco begins to reveal. It is here that Tonka Imperiale maintains a linearity right through the dry down. Essentially it is a tonka and honeyed tobacco scent with the Guerlainade accord running through it. Nothing much else happens. I keep waiting, but nothing. It’s comforting, warming, and if you love gourmands, something you will undoubtedly enjoy.

For many, Tonka Imperiale is a 10/10 scent and their favourite Guerlain. However, for mine, it isn’t nuanced enough to compete with classics such as Jicky and Shalimar. Classics that made the famed French house one of the leading lights of the fragrance world. I score it a 7, docking points for lack of complexity, limited versatility, and a lack of originality.

Time moves fast, ten years on from the original release of Tonka Imperiale. I will say it smells better than the vast majority of new releases today, but my affinity with the scent still hasn’t grown close enough that I’ll be purchasing a full bottle of this Fragcomm darling any time soon.

Quick Notes:

Launch Year: 2010.

Perfumer: Thierry Wasser.

Top notes: Bergamot, almond, honey, rosemary.

Heart notes: Jasmine, tonka bean, tobacco.

Base notes: Incense, cedar, pine.

Longevity: 12 hours maximum.

Projection: 4 hours strong.

Season: Autumn, winter.

Price: 75ml EdP,  $352AUD.

Alternatives: Dior Feve Delicieuse, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Van Cleef & Arpels Bois Dore, or you could try the L’Homme Ideal Line from Guerlain, a cheaper but reasonably similar alternative.

Have you tried Tonka Imperiale? Do you have a favourite from this line?

Note: Bottle images courtesy of Guerlain