If Tom Ford Noir Extreme is your reference point, these are the other warm, spiced bottles to compare. Jo Malone London Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense is a garden of cypress and grapevine grounded by amber. Jo Malone London Mimosa & Cardamom is honeyed mimosa over cardamom, with tonka and sandalwood. Azzaro The Most Wanted Eau de Parfum Intense is green cardamom with a toffee accord over amber woods. Boy Smells Coco Hinoki is a milky, woodsy perfume with coconut, pear and hinoki, and it is vegan. Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de L'Homme is cardamom, cedar and coumarin, which is the classic date night scent. KILIAN Paris Smoking Hot opens with apple hookah flavor and cinnamon before fire-cured tobacco. Dolce&Gabbana The One For Men Eau de Parfum is tarocco orange, clary sage and tobacco. Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb Dark Leather has black pepper, incense and a dark leather accord.

Pairing tip: use the Jo Malone bottles under something stronger. They are made to be layered, so a spray of Mimosa & Cardamom under an amber scent softens it.

What I would skip: Smoking Hot and Spicebomb Dark Leather in a warm, crowded room. They are dense, and heat makes them louder.

Evening scents lean on sandalwood and vanilla, and this grid has plenty of both. Azzaro Forever Wanted Absolu has incense, a whiskey accord and vanilla, and the brand says it leaves a 24-hour trail. Maison Margiela REPLICA Afternoon Delight is vanilla, a madeleine accord and sandalwood, a soft bakery scent. Montale Sweet Vanilla is apricot, vanilla and sugar, with a powdery finish. The Maker Alias is sandalwood, rice milk and freesia, quiet and skin close. Rabanne 1 Million Black adds coconut, pineapple and vanilla over ebony woods, and Rabanne Million Gold Eau de Parfum Intense is mandarin, cedarwood, sandalwood and cinnamon. The 7 Virtues Santal Vanille is sandalwood, vanilla and myrrh, and the brand compares it to a cashmere sweater. Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau Narcisse is bergamot, musk and tonka bean.

How to wear them: sweet scents work best sprayed on clothes at the collar, where they fade slowly and do not turn syrupy on skin.

What I would skip: Rabanne 1 Million Black and Sweet Vanilla if you dislike anything fruity. Both start with tropical or apricot notes before they warm up.

If you love Tom Ford Noir Extreme, stay in the amber and spice lane and try the Parfum for more density. If you want something quieter, go to sandalwood and vanilla. If you want something lighter and layerable, look at the Jo Malone colognes. If you are shopping for someone else, match the bottle to how they dress: leather and oud for the person in a dark jacket, sandalwood and vanilla for the one in soft knits. Wear evening scents in the evening, spray sparingly, and let them settle before you decide. The best test is the second day: if you reach for the same bottle without thinking, it belongs on your shelf.