Some of the old fogeys like me might remember a shop in the Greektown district of Toronto called MenEssentials. Now defunct, the boutique housed one of the broadest and most well-curated collections of wetshaving goods in Canada, and was actually one of the first stores to carry American artisanal soaps north of the border. But, among its considerable selection of grooming goods, MenEssentials also carried a uniquely varied collection of fragrances, and it was here that I stumbled upon Acca Kappa's uniquely scintillating Black Pepper & Sandalwood.

Created by maverick indie perfumer Luca Maffei according to a brief at whose contents I can only take the barest of guesses, BP&S was, at least to the best of my knowledge, the very first winner of the prestigious Art & Olfaction Awards, whose finalists and winners have included the likes of Zoologist, BedeauX, and our very own Maher Olfactive. When I first smelled it at MenEssentials in 2016, I had never encountered such a canny, inventive take on a spice fragrance before. Its full fragrance profile is something that I will discuss momentarily, but I want it first to be understood that I was so struck by the unique construction of the fragrance that I bought a bottle on the spot. It now resides in my girlfriend's apartment as a do-all, be-all, any occasion fragrance, and I still wear it quite often.

BP&S opens with an outright blast of spice. Just BOOM, there's a whole lot of pepper. And, perhaps most impressively, it's recognizably pepper. Not that kind of sparkly nose tickle that so many places are calling "pink peppercorn" these days, but genuine, honest-to-God black pepper, straight out of the mill. I'll be honest: you have to really love the smell of pepper to enjoy it, but the delicate floral nuances of fine tellicherry peppercorns are on full display right out of the gate, and it's hard not to love something to which so much attention was obviously paid.

Right there with the pepper is a rich sweetness, a clove-y, balsamic blanket that takes the fragrance from being a merry adventure through the spice rack to a seductive, mysterious aura. Little shots and sprinkles of other spices interplay with the open and hold through the early development of the fragrance. Nutmeg and cinnamon are prominent, as is the tangy spiciness of the tree resin elemi. I will admit to finding the claimed rose, oud, and artemisia (a bitter herb) undetectable, but that's actually fine; it feels very much like strong facets of any of those would destabilize the pleasantness of the spices, and so I cannot say that I miss them. That said, there is a definite saffron character here, present largely as a slightly smokey, rubbery tinge to the fragrance that only serves to enhance the interplay between the spices rather than detract from it.

BP&S is a mostly linear design, but the spiciness does eventually burn down quite a bit, leaving a sweet, musky, slightly vetiveryl skin scent that reminds strongly of sandalwood without actually being sandalwood. I cannot say that there's anything in this fragrance that reminds me of the creaminess of a true sandalwood fragrance, but that's perfectly fine. The sweet, clean woodiness is enough to finish the perfume out in style, and the little touches of cedar, patchouli (so clean that I would guess it to be white patchouli or some synthetic reconstitution), and cypriol (ordinarily most common in head shop incense) serve to cap off what has already been a fun journey into a very different kind of fragrance.

Overall, Black Pepper & Sandalwood is stylish and unusual, perfect for date night or just bumming around the house. Given that Acca Kappa has a strong series of wet shaving offerings, I really wish that they would offer this as a shaving cream or even an aftershave balm, but I suppose that I'm content with finishing off a nice shave with something that feels so effortlessly versatile. A grand masterpiece it is not, but it's far, FAR better than much of the other fare in the men's fragrance world, and it's not even overly expensive, given the quality of its design. I recommend picking up a sample, at the very least, but I have a feeling that this is a fragrance that many of you will want to keep on hand for many years to come.