Ambergris is tinctured for use in perfumery where it exalts other materials in the composition. It smells of the ocean; life, sex, death, salt spray, and storms. Unsurprisingly, there are fecal notes alongside leather, tobacco, and resinous notes. A piece of Ambergris is compelling and revolting. There are notes that recall infection, and something primal calls for identification of the source. 

Diluted for perfumery or when burned as incense, sweeter floral and resinous notes unfold. In perfume, Ambergris provides an ephemeral compelling quality without announcing itself. 

Ambergris was burned as incense in ancient Egypt and it is still used in Egyptian tobacco for flavor and fragrance. Historically, Ambergris has been valued globally across numerous cultures. It has been consumed in tea, chocolate, eggs, and tobacco. Historically, Ambergris was used to treat numerous medical afflictions. It was considered a cure for impotence, an aphrodisiac, an antidote for poison, and prevention for the plague. I haven't delved into the veracity of any of the medical claims, but find the fragrance to be relaxing when gently warmed over an electric burner.

I'm offering a small sample of Gold (brown) Ambergris. It is collected from shorelines, whose locations are carefully guarded, after Winter storms have washed it ashore. Gold Ambergris may spend decades (or centuries) being tumbled by the sea and aged by the sun before landing on a shore and being found by a collector.

Although White Ambergris is often considered the highest quality, I find the Gold to be the most desirable. White Ambergris is the least animalic, and may have been at sea for over 1,000 years according to some sources. Gold Ambergris has been aged long enough to mellow, while still retaining some of the more complex animalic notes that make it strangely compelling. Black Ambergris is stickier, very obviously fecal, and useful in oil macerations. I enjoy them all for different reasons, and although it isn't for everyone, experiencing the fragrance of real Ambergris offers an uncommon experience for the fragrance-curious.