Andy Tauer is one of my favourite perfumers and I finally had the pleasure of meeting him in Florence at Pitti Fragrance where I embarrassingly told him I was a huge fan. Oh well it was true. His modern classic L’Air Du Desert Marocain (LADDM) is a an arid, herbal, ambered beauty that will always have a place in my collection. It’s gorgeous and deserves all the critical acclaim it garners. Another favourite is Le Maroc Pour Elle, a stunning rose and jasmine roughed up with lashings of patchouli.

Tauer of course has charted the path for indie perfume brands use of social media as a way of engaging with their fan base in lieu of the big budget advertising that the big boy brands use. It is this facet that really intrigued me when I first became interested in perfume. He seemed like such a breath of fresh air compared to the luxury brands and their campaigns that generally portray the done to death sexual attraction and conquest imagery, that just seems a bit tired these days.

More recently Tauer has launched Tauerville that to date has produced four perfumes at a lower price point than his regular range. Of the three I’ve tried (the latest release Amber Flash has eluded me so far but I will get hold of it) in this collection Rose Flash is a stand out. It’s a stunning bold, jammy rose.

Sotta La Luna Tuberose – EDP : Nose : Andy Tauer : Year : 2015 : Notes : Top : Cinnamon, Geranium, Clove and Galbanum : Middle : Tuberose, Ylang ylang, Jasmine, Rose : Base : Tuberose, Patchouli and Ambergris.

Now first up I will say that this is an unusual and unique interpretation of tuberose. If you know the flower through gold standard tuberose perfumes like Fracas (Robert Piguet) and Carnal Flower (Frédéric Malle) then Sotta La Luna Tuberose will provide  a whole new perspective. It’s difficult to say what this perfume reminds me of but it’s a strange little creation and in this sense I would put it closer to the freaky tuberoses like Serge Lutens‘ Tubéreuse Criminelle and L’Artisan Parfumeur‘s Nuit de Tubéreuse as these are playing a different game and they’re outsiders, yet they stand out and stake a claim.

There’s a fizziness and a mentholated aspect that is far from the dizzying heights that emanates from the opening of Tubéreuse Criminelle but it is present. Along with this aspect is a pronounced spiciness from cinnamon and clove. Sotta La Luna Tuberose is a tuberose flecked with green and this hue lasts throughout the development as the tuberose pokes out from time to time from underneath the layers of spice and galbanum. The spiciness turns into something more peppered as the perfume wears. There are other florals listed in the notes but they don’t really jump out at me as the texture is murky yet very heavy. The patchouli and ambergris lend a slightly roughed up dirtier theme.

Sotta La Luna Tuberose for me is the bohemian tuberose. It’s a perfume that doesn’t’ play by the rules and does its own thing. I wouldn’t label it a happy tuberose, the green sheen to this perfume null and voids that preconception. It flits between spicy, mentholated and vegetal greenery that takes me on a road trip listening to old classics given a contemporary make over. It’s like ‘Jolene’ by The White Stripes or Nirvana’s take on ‘The Man Who Sold The World’. These are songs given a different spin, that sound equally convincing but the magic works in quite a different way to the original.

It does share similarities with Sotta La Luna Gardenia the other perfume in this ‘Under The Moon’ series, in that it’s a more unusual rendition of the note. If you find tuberose difficult in general this perfume may be a way to ease yourself in to the note. To my taste Sotta La Luna Tuberose is more of a masculine tuberose, as  the usual trappings are dispensed with here. Gone is the lush, creaminess and the typical brash skyscraper effect that is the more common interpretation of the flower and in its place is a roughed up, meandering, green spiced rendition. As with all Tauer perfumes the longevity is huge. I sprayed in the morning and it was still evident at 7pm. If you’re up for a change of pace then Sotta La Luna Tuberose is definitely a spiced up tuberose that will take you off the beaten track.

The Low Down : An unusual and unique interpretation of tuberose – tinted green, spiced and peppered. Prepare to be taken on a trip off the beaten path.  

Read more about Sotta La Luna Tuberose on : Now Smell This and Colognoisseur.

For where to purchase : Please see the Tauer Perfumes website for further details. A 50ml bottle is available for 105.80 Euro and samples are 4.60 Euro each.  

Disclosure : This review was based on a sample I purchased. Opinions my own. 

Notes : Images :  All from Andy Tauer.