Aside from one occurrence of, roughly, a 10% pocket of the wax that had lesser strength and throw (5ish/10), this was a solid 7 for its life, and it would even venture closer to an 8 upon the 4-hour burn time mark.
The fragrance is a really nice smoky, leathery, incensy mix, and I can detect a touch of spice as listed in the notes, though I'm not sure what specifically it might be.. maybe black pepper? I'm not sure I detect the herbal note, unless it's supposed to be the smallest touch medicinal for a bit of extra punch, i.e. the frosted lavender note in the well-known Mahogany Teakwood fragrance by Bath and Body Works.
I can't comment on the comparisons drawn to the Fireplace mercury jar candle as I never got my hands on one (why did you not bring them back this year, Kringle?? they looked beautiful!), but I did hear that the notes were all the same aside from the base. I also heard the theory that the base notes on this Smoke and Mirrors candle were a misprint as they're the same as the top notes, and thus, this one smelling the same as the Fireplace candle is a reality.
All in all, as I stated in the title, this candle should be a 4/5 at the lowest, as it definitely has a very authentic smoky/smoked wood fragrance, and does indeed have an air of mystery about it. I'd rate it 4.5/5, and thus, rounded up to a 5 as it's mostly deserved. Try it!