Bruno Acampora is the proprietor of an Italian line of perfume oils about which I know basically nothing. His website "invites you to join him on a voyage of the senses that spanned forty years", and according to Luckyscent, where the fragrances debuted earlier this year, the small aluminum bottles sealed with cork that house the perfumes are "unchanged in 30 years", so apparently the house is not new, but it is certainly new to me. Today's subject, Jasmin, was reportedly launched in 1978, and the notes include jasmine, cyclamen, cloves and ylang ylang.

Jasmin starts out rich and strong, and more than a little indolic. At first I worried that it might be more jasmine than I can stand — it very nearly outdoes Serge Lutens A La Nuit in the buried-alive-in-flower-petals category. Just as I was beginning to question the wisdom of testing it in July, of all times, it started to settle. A bit of stemmy green arrives to temper the floral notes, and then the ylang both sweetens and mellows the jasmine without overpowering it.

It isn't an overly complex fragrance, so that is pretty much the whole story. There is a little murmur of spice but I'd never have identified clove, and I'd guess there are other white florals in the blend as well, but it smells mostly of jasmine and ylang with the slightest hint of green. It is rich, but also very bright and clear (it is much brighter than A La Nuit). The lasting power is very good (although the ylang does eventually outlast the jasmine) and a little drop goes a very long way.

Bruno Acampora describes Jasmin as a "hot August evening, a childhood memory, pure golden honey", and Luckyscent says "We can't imagine a better first date scent". Jasmin might be a perfect remembrance of a hot August evening, but it is the last thing I'd choose to wear on one, and I can't say I recommend splashing it on for a first date either. I think it is gorgeous, a real jasmine-lover's jasmine, but one person's gorgeous jasmine is another poor soul's worst indolic nightmare, and I've seen more than one comment of "skanky". If skanky jasmine is right up your alley, do try it.

Bruno Acampora Jasmin is $175 (ouch!) for 10 ml of perfume oil at luckyscent. It can also be found at first-in-fragrance in Germany.

Tomorrow: more jasmine