Zeybek
Pekji (2018)

Sampling Pekji Zeybek, an animalic, spicy, minty, greenish floral, described as an animalic fougere, and it’s very much as intense as it sounds, and not in my usual wheelhouse in terms of preferred scent categories. The intensity does wane a little after the opening sprays but the mix remains—from a civet/leather combo to a floral blend to hay and even vetiver, this is a pretty loud, multifaceted ensemble that makes it the most provocative scent of the five in the discovery set that I sampled, easily, and that’s at least attempting to discount the genre entirely. I would say spray carefully, but this undoubtedly makes for a lot more variety in the quintet, even though it’s not for me, personally. It just doesn’t quite come together in a coherent way that I can enjoy it all that much, but the complexity and performance are significant.

Zeybek is priced at $165 for 50ml, the same as the rest of the line, in extrait concentration, and is sold at Luckyscent and other boutiques.

5 out of 10

Well, if you want to smell like an actual barn, and I don't mean "barnyard" in association with animalic ouds, then Zeybek by Pekji (2018) is most definitely for you. I wasn't really sure how to take this one at first, but after time went on, I was able to soften a bit to the appeal it does possess through the din of hay and horse manure, and this is definitely one that lives in the dry down so be patient with it. For some context, Pekji is an artisanal one-man house as is so popular within the smallest and most-elite cash-flush enclaves of the fragrance fandom, the "true perfume for true perfume connoisseurs" and all that blissfully bullshit hubris. As can be expected, most if not all materials are natural, and the point isn't about being wearable, but in showing off the "nobility" of materials or to make some challenging artistic statement in grand fashion that you just happen to have the privilege of wearing if you can afford the price. Rich perfume snobs flock to brands like these like tweakers flock to a meth house, and it's basically a narcotic for their self-esteem anyway to flaunt how superior brands like this are over the rote rank and file "regular" niche or designer exercises that the other 99% of us seem perfectly okay with wearing. That said, Pekji perfumer Ömer Ipekçi seems a lot less concerned with the usual "haute parfum" pomp and circumstance and just making his wearable art for genuinely interested parties that are here less for the hipster validation and more for the actual experience his perfumes grant them, so bravo man.

The theme of Zeybek is the Aegean dance called Zeibekiko. The fragrance itself is named after the Zeybeks, an irregular militia living in the Aegean Region of the Ottoman Empire from late 17th to early 20th centuries, and the dance they performed was first developed for two armed Zeybeks facing each other, then adapted into an improvised dance for a single Zeybek. Eventually this dance became popular in Greece due to immigration from Turkey into the region, and can sometimes be known as "The Eagle Dance". The fragrance therefore seeks to capture the ambiance of late turn of the century period where cigarettes and alcohol aplenty had entered the fray, and the dance was less about the Zeybeks themselves, and more of a recreational tradition among horseback-riding men of the region. The opening of Zeybek is a blast to the face of coumarin, sour lemon, bergamot, and narcissus. The animal barn hay note conveyed by the coumarin and almost pissy citruses is palpable; you can almost taste it upon spray. The narcissus with its green floral vibe soon joins an aromatic lavender that then hooks up with anise to form a sort of licorice booze accord of Ouzo, something these men would have drunk. Civet musk provides the animalic "barn smell" that twines with the hay-like coumarin, and there's no escaping that I'm afraid, while some castoreum leather brings in the saddle-like vibe meant to communicate the horseback theme. Finally, some vetiver and oakmoss absolute bring in the aromatic masculine base line. Wear time is about 8 hours and you're on your own for usage.

If you're looking for a time and place captured in a scent a la Byredo but with artisanal-grade materials and pretense, Pekji Zeybek is for you. There is no denying just how out and out masculine something like this is, because you literally smell like a drunk chain-smoking horseback riding militia-man from a bygone era that has a small bottle of lavender water he splashes on to supplement his lack of hygiene as was common then. By the time he smells like this however, he's too many sips of Ouzo in to be of any use completing the Zeibekiko anyway, but perhaps that's the charm of the fragrance. Unabashed braggadocio was often displayed when the dance was performed, regardless of inebriation level, alongside some levity, so the kind of masculinity on display here is less of the toxic kind and more of the haughty but lighthearted kind, confidence without condescension. Price-wise, Pekji isn't the worst of artisanal brands, at least not at the time I made this review. You can (or at least could if discontinued by the time read) get a 50ml bottle of Zeybek for about $165 USD at retail from the brand, and being that this is made in pure parfum strength, that might just be a lifetime supply considering how infrequently I could see the average enthusiast wearing something like this. The brand's bottles and packaging are also absolutely gorgeous, with thick coffret boxes housing solid glass bottles adorned with script and quality caps. If you're looking for an artisanal experience that is more thematic, Pekji may be worth a sniff, but Zeybek is not an easy wear. Fun, maybe, but not easy. Thumbs up.

I agree with the initial description for this fragrance - "ambient notes of horses, cigarette, booze, and the sea far away". Sweet hay with bright lavender. Boozy scent of Ouzo. Savory citrus. This is by far one of the best masculine frags I've ever experienced.

I move my arm and I get different notes at different times. Later, I feel this scent actually leans towards unisex - anyone could wear this. Hints of sweetness, tame the hay, leather, and tobacco. This one, is worth a tray. Love it!