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zvn646speagoessenda – :
A transcendental climb into the woods, for sure. Smoke and resin and pine and all things fine; so mellow, as well as so bracing, it made me think there was frankincense in there too. Just wonderful – a blast of the outdoors, and of the past, and of your dreams. Thanks so much to Fragrantian mmpusa for letting me smell a precious last few drops of this – it’s magnificent, a forest wizard just as brave as Norne or Woodcut or Wazamba or Fille en Aiguilles (all masterpieces), but more grave and sage and wise, too.
So I also curse whoever at Apoteke decided to discontinue it! (But unlike this scent, I’ve no magical powers, so that’s just pointless pouting on my part.) A genuine revelation.
Rhaw – :
Very comforting and for me, has a nostalgic feel to it. The Holy Mountain is a wonderful blend consisting of swirls of pine woods, smoke and incense/resins. Perfect for cool evenings, this fragrance has a familiar, haunting quality that I personally cannot get enough of. Definitely a sample first scent, but once I did, have been hooked ever since.
uraukr – :
‘The Holy Mountain’ takes it name from one of the most mystical and mysterious films ever made by Alejandro Jodorowsky. It manages to beautifully capture the aura and vibe of this very unique cinematic experience. The fragrance is a composition of burnt wood and balsamic resins evoking ancient mystical rites. There is a smoky resinous beauty to the scent (think of a tamer version of Norne by Slumberhouse), but not very overpowering. There is no sweetening of this magical potion, even though there is a hint of labdanum. it is a resinous burnt wood and incense mix that recalls the smell of fires used in Vedic traditions (I can picture the burning ghats of Benares). The scent has moderate sillage and projection so can be worn fairly easily without raising eyebrows but it is definitely an uncommon smelling potion. Mystical and haunting!
tmb_ak47 – :
The climb up The Holy Mountain was a smoky trail of Olympic Orchid’s Woodcut, with a marked vinegar top note. I can see where Roge’ is going with Worcester sauce, since it contains Barley malt vinegar and Spirit vinegar. Arguably, the molasses feel might emanate from Gaiac sweetening the mix. Thankfully no onions or anchovies, so probably vegan- friendly.
Sadly, I can’t do vinegar, so this mountain trail is coming to an end. Fun journey while it lasted. Happy climbing.
serh.aguero – :
No campfire here but I can see how someone else might get that, the balsamic accord (no Worcester here at least imo, closer to a rich glaze) and incense elevate it completely, I feel transported to a smoldering fragrant petrified pine Forrest but there’s not really a smoke note it’s just kind of smoked.. kind of how smoked salmon is smoked but doesnt taste or smell of smoke just that the character has been changed, the pine not terpenic.. it’s more like uninfected Aquilara is to oud.. far richer, more complex as though the wood has been changed.. everything balanced and harmonious.
bodias – :
Definitely very smoky, and pine wood, I love this but it does smell a bit like you’ve been on a massive BBQ cookout and your hair still smells like the fire and smoke!
zambia – :
If you are in the market for a smoky fragrance that smells like maybe the smoke cleared after a super-beardy wizard threw a mystical resin into a fire to conjure an ancient dragon lord or something, but the dragon flew away and the wizard has gone to bed and the fire has burned down so that only the embers are smoldering and the deeply scented, resinous smoke has seeped into all the old wooden beams in the top-most tower room where all the magical shit is locked up…well, The Holy Mountain may be the scent for you.
DARKWOLF999 – :
This to me conjours up not the smell of burnt out wood after a fire, but the smoky aroma from burning wood in a campfire surrounded by fir trees. It’s not too intensive and provides a warm, comforting feel. Its initial burst settles to a much closer scent which is very enjoyable indeed.
vzozulya – :
Worcester sauce anyone???? This review is inspired by the Holy Mountain like/dislike meter, which I found to be astonishingly positive. To my chagrin, this blind buy was lacking the verve I expected and the spunk you’d hope for. Contrary to the opening of my facetious disquisition, i’m Pro-Worcester Sauce accords in perfumery. The key word in that last sentence is “perfumery” which i found this to be everything but…This is more artistic than it is hedonistic plus i found this to be way too kitschy for my skin. No one will approach you with the “You smell so sexy face.” This fragrance was created with a totally different purpose. Holy Mountain is probably meant to be a conversational piece sorta like the Popeye art in the Wynn Hotel(ok that was a little off base but you know what i mean). This is a fragrance to be worn during those Woodstock Concerts in the 60’s..
-XxX- – :
Fragrantica user babayaga turned me onto this fragrance and company. She greeted me with the sweetest private message and this tailored recommendation/review:
“One fragrance I’ve discovered that makes me feel like I am wrapped in soft textiles of deep red, purple, brown, having tea (possibly with psychoactive ingredients) in the smoky tent of a nomadic family in the Himalayas is Apoteker Tepe’s Holy Mountain. Very smoky and resinous, you can read the notes, but there’s also a very magical, mysterious quality there.”
What is there to say other than her spectacular review? Other then THANK YOU babayaga. THANK YOU Apoteker Tepe.
This fragrance is so comforting and enlightening– it’s ritualistic, it’s native, it’s tranquil, it’s emotive, a bit psychoactive, a bit shamanic. It’s a bonfire smoking at base camp as you canoe up to the shore through the fog. It’s home on planet earth. I didn’t expect a scent like this to be as wearable as it is. I think this is my first niche love. Thank you.
dashenika1993 – :
It has that balsamic agarwood combination with a slight vinegar & a burned incense which gives the smell of grilling hot dogs. The pine is slightly there to soften that sharpness of that balsamic burnt incense.
It’s like the burnt woods in the forest after being extinguish by rain!
africa92 – :
The Holy Mountain smells like a fey bonfire in a forest dream. Smoky burning wood entangled with the most aromatic incense! Very potent the first half hour, then becomes more of a skin scent. The clean charred wood and incense combination are supported by a smooth aromatic accord that is infused with fir. Truly wonderful, although I yearn for the sillage and longevity to be stronger.
emilian1171 – :
I hunted down Apoteker Tepe’s offerings hoping to try Anabasis (which I did), but one quick sniff of the bottle of Holy Mountain that was on the shelf absolutely demanded it be tried on.
I have to mention Anabasis again, because the two fragrances could scarcely be more polar opposite. Okay, they both involve wood, but where Anabasis is living wood, Holy Mountain is wood that has been scorched and decimated by fire.
There was a time not so very long ago where I’m certain I would’ve been put off by the in-your-face smokiness of HM, but now I’m absolutely mesmerized by it.
Bold would be an understatement. Particularly the first 20 minutes or so.
Incense is listed, but to me it’s more like peat fire. A slate-floored stone cottage out in the moors, with an open hearth fire constantly tended by an eccentric but dear old acquaintance.
As you journey out of the initial smoke it pulls closer to the skin, becoming slightly reminiscent of Diptyque’s Feu du Bois candle. The creamy labdanum washing the spiky edges off the smoke.
I get the feeling that there may have been some hemming and hawing by the perfumer here as to whether or not to release this one. It is VASTLY different from the rest of Apoteker Tepe’s other (and likely more widely-appealing) offerings. However, for me it puts greater faith in her ability as a truly dynamic creatrix.
Arresting, unique, and bold!