Jubilation XXV.

Jubilation XXV Man earns its name from the Roman numeral, and the number is the only simple thing about it. Bertrand Duchaufour built an entire fragrance around that figure: complex, ceremonial, unapologetically opulent. Where other compositions chase trends, this one plants a flag. Duchaufour answered with blackberry, tarragon, and incense at the top, and never looked back. The fruity tartness of the blackberry opens with immediate brightness, while the tarragon adds an herbal, slightly anise-like undertone that keeps the top accord grounded and unexpected. Incense smoke curls through the composition, lending a mysterious, sacred quality that announces this is not a fragrance for those who prefer subtlety.

What makes this composition unusual is the collision it engineers between fruity and balsamic. Blackberry is not a typical partner for frankincense and labdanum, the combination risks smelling medicinal, like cough syrup, in the first minutes. Most perfumers avoid that gamble. Duchaufour leaned into it. The coriander and tarragon in the top accord act as a bridge, their green, slightly anise-like character pulling the blackberry away from sweetness and toward something more herbaceous. It's a deliberate tension that, when it resolves, sets up the honey-cinnamon heart beautifully.

The opening hits immediately, blackberry bright and tart, underscored by orange and a cloud of incense smoke from the labdanum. Five minutes in, the fruity sweetness starts to pull back, and the frankincense moves forward. Then the honey arrives. Not the sticky kind, more like warm amber, binding the cinnamon, clove, and guaiac wood into a heart that smells opulent, almost candlelit. The rose and orchid are quiet players here, lending softness so the spice doesn't overwhelm. By the second hour, the honey fades and the base takes over. This is where oud, myrrh, and patchouli form a resinous, slightly animalic drydown that projects across a room. The Omani ambergris keeps it from going dark. Eight to ten hours is the norm on skin. On fabric, it lingers until the next day.

Jubilation XXV Man divides opinion with the kind of conviction usually reserved for art or politics. Its blend of fruity, spicy, and resinous accords, anchored by oud and ambergris, attracts passionate advocates who consider it an essential expression of contemporary luxury perfumery. Wearers tend to either champion it fiercely or find it too assertive for their tastes. That polarisation is part of its legacy, a marker that the fragrance achieves something beyond mere pleasantness. It projects confidence and intention, qualities that speak to a specific audience willing to invest in scent as a form of self-expression.