TODORAC

IMPRESSION
A tangle of textures, moving from dry to sticky, sweet to bitter, an homage to Balkan liquors.

LORE
/ˈtɔ.dɔ.rats/ noun (South Slavic)

pl. Todorci

Half human and half horse, the Todorac is a faceless rider whose torso rises from the animal’s back. Cloaked and armed with sabers and chains, they appear during Todor’s Week in late winter, their passing marked by hoofbeats and prints in the earth. In some regions, hoof‑shaped cookies are baked as offerings to protect households and livestock from their approach.

OLFACTORY FAMILY
Aromatic, Boozy, Herbal, Gourmand, Amber, Smoky

PERFUMER’S NOTES
“Todorac comes from my relationship with the Balkans, which is more of an adoptive community than something I grew up in. When I think of that region, I think of the liquor - pelinkovac, šljivovica, dunjevača, the beeswax candles in Orthodox churches, and the cigarette smoke that you can’t escape. Those scents overlap in a very organic way. The base is built around immortelle from Niš in southern Serbia. It gives the liquid its deep color and that heavy, almost textural density. On skin, it doesn’t stay quiet, it radiates unapologetically, and it doesn’t really allow a neutral reaction. That directness is part of what defines the Balkans.”