Ouarzazate

The high Atlas mountain city of Ouarzazate (pronounced war-za-zat) in Morocco was the inspiration of this masterpiece. At its opening, a sweet, balsamic tang of labdanum absolute quickly followed by zesty pepper tickles your nose. As it warms on the skin, the softly herbal clary sage (for which Morocco's is hailed as among the finest in the world) blends with a now-calm pepper and nutmeg to make Ouarzazate a crossroads of perfectly blended, spiced incense of the Middle Eastern variety. We close our eyes and imagine we're in the cool, still interior of Ouarzazate's famous Kasbah.