Imagine a wood panelled room, a deep leather armchair, embers glowing in the hearth, whisky in one hand, book in the other. This is Q: intoxicating, enveloping and mysterious.

The inaugural scent from Saunders & Long, the distinguished grooming label by Nick Saunders and Jonny Long, Q is an elegant, sophisticated fougére, masterfully blended by François Robert. Q is inspired by the earthy aromas of unlit tobacco leaves and the layered woods of the humidor.

A fourth generation perfumer, Robert’s great grand father pioneered the absolute distillation process in Grasse in 1860. On timely expedition to Havana, Robert made a tour of discovery in the historic factories where cigars have been hand-rolled for centuries. Bringing this experience back to the South Coast of England, Robert began to capture the olfactory signature of the Cuban cigar. “I am fascinated by the mesmerising smell of an unlit cigar and of a cigar box. It is a very complex mixture of different aromas which I understood when I spent time in Cuba with producers,” François Robert explains, “I discovered they bathe the leaves in a mixture of honey with hints of lemon and aromatic herbs. To reproduce the smell of the cigar box involved mixing different varieties of cedar woods without letting the dryness overcome the accord.”

An eau de toilette, Q opens with sparkling, fresh top notes including bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, spicy nutmeg and basil, with a distinctive pink pepper note, obtained by cold extraction process to preserve the full character. In the heart, olibanum from the Arabian peninsula, geranium, lavender and cedar wood wrap around the bespoke tobacco accord, which contains a unique seaweed note. The dry down reveals earthy, smoky Haitian vetiver, patchouli, amber and precious woods. Multi-faceted, the accord gives a hint of whisky, the sweetness of tobacco leaf and the mystique of olibanum. Lavender and geranium provide the classic hallmarks of masculine perfumery. “The deep sensual note is absolutely stunning and adding the sparkling whisky and pepper and olibanum touch to lighten the accord beautifully,” says Robert.

“Q has been a labour of love for the past five years,” says Jonny Long, “it has been a slow, gradual process of iterative improvement, going back and forth with our Master Perfumer, François. From day one on this journey with Saunders & Long, Nick and I agreed we’d never settle on the scent until we were both satisfied. That day finally came. We both smiled, because we knew it was the one: it was formula Q.”

The fragrance notes

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Basil, Nutmeg, Mandarin, Grapefruit.

Heart notes: Tobacco Accord, Olibanum, Geranium, Cedar wood, Lavender.

Base notes: Haitian Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Precious Woods.

The packaging

Designed for stylish global nomads, the meticulously crafted, matt black canister recalls the smooth curve of a cigar tube, with the perfume secretly concealed within, for a covert mission. Nick Saunders comments: “A true gentleman has a love affair with intriguing gadgets. The

inspiration came from the cigar and whisky notes that our Master Perfumer had infused into the fragrance. The atomiser is intentionally suggestive of the shape and texture of both the silencer from a vintage spy movie and the cigar tube of an Epicure No. 2.”

The compact, robust aluminium case has a removable base and a tactile grip detail around the cap. It contains a refillable glass atomiser. At 12ml, it complies with airline restrictions for carry- on liquids. Refillable and recyclable to lessen waste, the 125ml aluminium bottle comes with a matching black funnel for decanting and provides up to ten refills.

The full Saunders & Long product portfolio is available to buy here on Saunders and Long