Nishane Hacivat: Can it Dethrone the King?
If someone asks you about the most epic perfume ever created, can you really single out one? I believe that perfumes are exactly like art; everyone interprets them from their own perspective and the perception of the notes is deeply connected to one’s own memories and life experiences. A lot of people fall in love with a perfume based solely on the fact that it was worn by their first love.
Having said that, there are some perfumes that have universal appeal and are seldom perceived as annoying or detestable. I know I drifted somehow from the question, but I wanted to pave the way for my take on the matter. I am not spilling any beans when I say that Creed Aventus is regarded by many as the greatest scent ever created. It is so beautiful that it inspired almost every Niche house to create their own Aventus-inspired perfume.
I own almost all of Aventus’s replicas and interpretations and I can say without any doubt that each one shines in its own way. Maybe none of them matches Aventus’s purity of ingredients. Nevertheless, they may have enhanced performance or even a different nuance which may be even better than Aventus itself. One of these great fragrances is the controversial Nishane’s Hacivat.
Hacivat is one of the early releases from Nishane, and in my opinion, is the perfume that put Nishane on the map. Hacivat was revealed to the world in 2017 as a pineapple-based fragrance. Now, I have to highlight something very important. Amateurs or inexperienced people are not familiar with certain eccentric notes, like Iris, tobacco, and Oud. That being said, inexperienced noses tend to detect notes that are new to them, more than other familiar notes.
As a result, people will liken some fragrances to others sharing the same note even though they are fundamentally different. I guess that is a major setback and unfair verdict for fragrances like Hacivat. I own all the 100 ml batches of Hacivat that were released from 2019 to 2022. I can, with all certainty, say that they are totally different from Aventus. They may share the fresh pineapple note along with some uplifting bergamot, but that’s it. I do not think they have any more in common, and I personally find them to be completely different.
Now, straight to Hacivat, the fragrance freshly starts off with some tasty and sweet pineapple, fresh bergamot, and cool grapefruit. The pineapple lingers for the rest of the perfume’s life span as the heart introduces some playful Jasmine, green patchouli, and elegant cedarwood.
The heart, however, does not remain for long. As for the dry down, it brings in the other foundation of the perfume, the sexy Oakmoss. The Oakmoss marks the attractiveness and sexuality of the fragrance and I think if it was not for the oakmoss, the perfume would have been perfectly unisex. The dry down also completes the masculine picture with some woody notes which give the fragrance a very nice scent trail.
Reformulations wise, there are some rumors of reformulation for the post-2020 releases. I did some hands-on comparisons between the batches I own. For starters, there are some very minor changes, so you can buy the new batches without any fear of missing out. The 2020 and 2021 batches start in a very fruity way, putting all the emphasis on the pineapple note along with the woody and some green notes.
To my nose, the 2019 batch is superb in the fact that it concentrates more on the oakmoss. Despite the fact that natural oakmoss has sadly been blacklisted in perfumery applications by IFRA in 2017, the synthetic oakmoss gives off the same alluring manly vibes. I also believe oakmoss to be the source of the smokiness found along with the pineapple and that is exactly what you get in the opening in the 2019 batch. Having said that, after 2 to 3 hours of application all batches will smell the same and you cannot even tell which is which.
As far as Performance, the main edge of Hacivat is its spectacular performance. Be it the longevity, sillage or projection, Hacivat is undeniably one of the greatest performing summer or fall fragrances out there. Some claims were made about the 2019 batch in regards to its alleged better performance over the post 2021 batches, yet I believe that is only due to the maceration part or the fact that you can easily go nose blind to Hacivat. From personal experience, I have been complimented more than once on Hacivat hours after application even though I could not smell it on me.
Now, to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, Hacivat is different from Aventus despite the fact that they are both perfumes that playfully utilize the pineapple note. I also believe Hacivat to be a very versatile perfume. People from different age groups can wear it to any occasion. I also regard it as a fragrance whose formulation is still solid, which means that you will not miss the old batches.
Have you tried Hacivat? How about Aventus? Can you see the resemblance or differences between the two? Kindly share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
