The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Hirish Tobacco was created by Giovanni Festa and released in 2020. The name points plainly to its central contrast: tobacco without the expected smoke-and-ash gloss. Instead, Giovanni Festa places it inside a floral structure of violet, myrtle, and iris. That choice gives the composition its unusual character, pairing a dark material with a soft, powdery surface. It feels less like a conventional tobacco fragrance and more like a deliberate study in texture, shadow, and restrained warmth. The result suits anyone who likes fragrance with a little intellectual tension and doesn't need sweetness to make an entrance.
The unusual part is how neatly the composition refuses the obvious. Tobacco could have led everything, but violet and iris keep it company, giving the darkness a floral, almost intimate frame. Myrtle adds a green, aromatic edge at the top, while vetiver and guaiac wood pull the composition toward earth and wood. The result is layered without becoming loud. It feels like a series of contrasts that somehow stay in conversation: floral beside woody, powder beside tobacco, sweet impression beside a more grounded finish.
The evolution
It begins with violet and myrtle, a cool, aromatic handoff that feels polished and slightly mysterious. The opening has the polish of a dressed room and the faint snap of green leaves, but it doesn't stay there. As the fragrance develops, iris brings a cool powderiness that smooths the sharper edges, while tobacco introduces weight and a faint sweetness. Then the base takes over: vetiver pulls the composition toward damp soil and grass, and guaiac wood gives it a dry, smoky structure. By the final hours, the floral character is less obvious, though not entirely gone. What remains is a close, woody warmth with violet still hovering underneath, like a remembered detail in a dark coat.
Cultural impact
Hirish Tobacco fits Aulentissima's position as an independent house for noses who treat fragrance as conceptual art. Its floral-tobacco pairing resists the category's expected direction, appealing to wearers drawn to cerebral, slightly heretical scent ideas rather than easy luxury.
The House
AulentissimaAulentissima is an independent fragrance house that emerged in the late 2010s, offering a catalogue that reads like a laboratory notebook of scent experiments. Its releases – Issimamenthae (2017), Rose and Beer (2020), O.H.V. Gutt B. (2022), Zacamutra (2020), Il Velo di Maia (2020), Spóros (2020), Jardin de Marrakesh (2017), Amande (2017), Black Woman (2017) and Men in Roses (2017) – span a range of aromatic concepts from botanical abstractions to urban narratives. The brand positions itself as a conduit for curious noses, inviting collectors to explore compositions that often juxtapose unexpected ingredients. While the label does not publish a traditional corporate history, its body of work suggests a commitment to pushing the boundaries of modern perfumery without relying on overt marketing slogans.
The Creator
Giovanni FestaIn the lab Festa favors a linear construction: a clear opening, a heart that expands, and a base that settles like stone. He often begins with a single botanical note—often a citrus or a rare rose—and builds layers of supporting accords that echo the primary scent without over…
