Oud Cologne

This is incredible, if only it were a bit stronger. Like Sayat Nova, Oud Cologne wasn't a Bortnikoff I liked off first impressions, it smelled a bit harsh and this harshness along with some bitter orange and a green, piney facet smelled off putting. Now I've given it a full wear and it's lovely, not to mention I never would have guessed it would change into what it became on my skin. The opening is led by insanely fizzy citruses, to the point I'd say this is unironically the fragrance with the most realistic "soda" feel I've tried. Along with these citruses there's still that same green, piney facet I detected on paper but less noticeable, as well a near imperceptible amount of oud in the far background. I've mentioned in my "reviews" of other Bortnikoffs how there's a balsamic note that my skin picks up and intensifies and now I'm pretty confident it is in fact the oud. The tiny bit of oud there is in here still manages to give off this balsamic smell in a potent enough amount to be noticeable, but unlike something like Tabac Doré where it comes off whiskey-like or some of Maksim Bortnikoff's fragrances where it's more like overripe banana, here it's distinctly vanillic and sweet, and this combined with the fizzy citruses (and I know I'd probably get weird looks and questioned if my nose is broken for saying this) I get strong Eros vibes, although obviously nowhere near as sweet and synthetic as Eros is, and without the prominent mint on the top. All in all Oud Cologne smells to me like a very refreshing and natural lemon-orange soda with vanilla and smidges of oud and a pine-like note in the background. Performance is unfortunately not great and it makes the price of the fragrance a much tougher pill to swallow as I'd really love to own this. Projection is moderate to strong for the first 15-20 minutes before mellowing down to a moderate to intimate projection (obviously this is an estimation). Sillage is moderate for about an hour but it quickly dies down to a skin scent. Longevity is on the shorter side at only 4 hours but I suppose it's to be expected considering the type of fragrance it is and how full of naturals it is. I'd have been over the moon if this performed like Dubai did yesterday.

I wasn't expecting to smell the oud so strongly, I feel like maybe some reviewers here and on other prominent sites don't realise what Thai oud smells like. For comparison, the oud note in Amber Oud really is in the background, almost imperceptible, but in this one it spans across the notes, kind of supporting everything wonderfully. It's not at all skanky compared to other types of oud, more dry-woody. The benzoin makes an appearance early on if I smell up close, whereas the sillage is still all about the juicy citruses (very recognisable from many other Bortnikoffs).) I love the top, but it's not new if you know Bortnikoff, the heart and base are where it's at for me. There is a salty twang creeping in from the ambergris, and I'd say this is more animalic than amber cologne, perhaps due to the ambergris + pissy benzoin. It's growly, furry. As many others have said, it's not an oud-fest like other Bortnikoffs, but it is a unique and delicious twist to the world of fougères. If you think New York Intense or Le 3e Homme are amazing (which I really don't, but they're very popular fougères), this will blow your mind.

A beautifully fresh, green and woody scent, but with a misleading name. This starts with an ultra fresh burst of grapefruit and bitter orange mingled with gorgeous, foresty juniper, pine, and geranium. Reminds me of Froot Loops cereal when you first spray it on. As it dries down the freshness slowly takes a back seat to the benzoin and tonka sweetness and the ambergris becomes very pronounced. The ever-so-slightly fermented Thai oud is not a huge player, but it is noticeable as a fixative. It gives the whole composition a satisfying depth. Leans more masculine than Amber Cologne, but still could be pulled off by a woman. Projection and sillage are adequate, but not strong. The top notes disappear relatively quickly, but the strong, delicious base lingers 12+ hours on my skin. This one grew on me to the point that I think I like this better than the more popular Amber Cologne. It just fits my personal taste so well. Not as oudy as it's namesake might imply, but very fresh and fruity with a dominant woody depth.

A beautiful fresh and spicy oud. I 🤔 this is underated. I went with a bottle of Ambergris Cologne and a 9 ml of this. I always thought M-7 Fresh was better fragrance than M-7. After the first 10 minutes it settles in to a great blend. Love the touch of pine with pink pepper, great citruses, and a great oud. All in perfect balance.

This can be my daily beater for the colder months. Sharp, tangy oud with pine freshness. It wouldn't make sense to wear this on a hot day as it can be overpowering but not by much. The fall and cool spring days and summer nights are totally fine.

I couldn't agree more with 'waldganger' below... this stuff is handsome and beautiful. I continue to grow a love for Bortnikoff, whose scents are unique, complex and intoxicating. I'll be buying more from this house without question.

This new offering from Bortnikoff is fantastic! I'm really enjoying the citruses. Longevity is a little low so I spray my chest under my shirt so the shirt will hold on to the fragrance a little longer!

Oud Cologne is the marriage of two nouns you don’t typically hear being used together, this is only the second scent I’ve tried from Bortnikoff, but I’m really enjoying it. It definitely is focused more on the ‘Cologne’ aspect rather than the oud, which I don’t get much of at all to be honest. However despite that, it’s lovely. A gorgeously natural smelling cocktail of bitter, rindy citrus fruits including orange, grapefruit and bergamot lead the way - it’s as if the real thing is right in front of your nose. Juniper and pine give it this beautiful green, aromatic, almost gin-like accord, complemented by the salty facets of ambergris and geranium. As I said I don’t really get any oud from this, which isn’t a bad thing, just misleading. As citrus fragrances go, this is absolutely stunning - truly a fantastic offering for the warmer weather when you need refreshing, but I’m not sure I’d want to spend that much money on a citrus scent.

A refreshing summer scent that is more about the joy of citrus than oud. The perfume opens with fresh bursts of grapefruit, bitter orange, juniper berries and pink pepper. The brief heart is geranium, nutmeg, pine and slight rose. The perfume settles on a powdery bed of benzoin, vetiver and tonka beans with slight hints of ambergris and non skanky Thai oud. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate sillage and good longevity. It is a happy pleasant scent that lingers on skin for hours providing comfort and gentle aromas. Also not a oud heavy scent as it names suggests and more of a citrus aromatic but a nice testament to the perfumers expert blending skills to take something like this and recreate it as an Oriental fougere. Enjoy! (Review based on a complimentary bottle received from the perfumer)

A perfectly fine scent! I didn't know oud can be so fresh and potent at the same time! Other marketed "wearable ouds" tend not to give space for the star ingredient to shine, or rather, use some "ideas" of it—like a hint of smoky wood here or a hint of ambery musk there—but make no mistake, this is the real deal and it's perfect for the summer!

This one caught me off guard. There is a strong sweetness, almost candy like that mixes with the ambergris and benzoin to add a syrupy stickiness to it. But yet this is not overpowering or overwhelming in any way. It’s kind of wispy and airy as it floats around you. This is for those cool summer nights or early fall days.

State fair livestock show. Pretty great. Along the lines of LV’s Nuit de Feu.

Even the name Oud Cologne gave me pause as I'm not so sure oud can coexist with heavy citrus in a true traditional cologne scent profile. And sure enough, my test wear confirmed my suspicions as it manifested that incompatibility. It just didn't smell right. Disharmonious. Its not the first time I've experienced this incompatibility in a fragrance and the wreck it imparts to a composition. I could see it coming with Cuir Cuba Intense by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur, where its combination of licorice/star anise and cumin notes was disharmonious to the nose too. It was, imo, a risky perfumery kind of thing to do. Same with Oud Cologne in my opinion. I've developed a suspicion regarding Bortnikoff's acumen with respect to composition and blending in my foray into his offerings. Maybe its kind of endemic of Indy Niche for various reasons. I had a similar impression with Andy Taur's work. Despite this, I thought Moss Cologne was beautiful enough to buy a full bottle. Amber Cologne is on my to-buy list. I appreciate the Indy personal artistic touch and materials quality. But not many of them hit the mark on scent profile for me.

Oh wow...oud done as a 'freshie' and, to be honest, in a way I didn't think was possible... It's mostly citrus on the opening. Actually, mostly citrus peels -- I'm talking tangerine, mandarin and lemon. The oud is ever present, or moreso the bitterness/sourness from the oud, and this is all backed appropriately by the pine and cedar as the base, though, a few hours in, the bitterness gets a little too metallic and borders on unpleasant, but only just. But what I get most from this, other than the sum of each individually listed ingredient, is an indoor swimming pool. There is an odd, satisfying chlorine feeling about this scent. It either smells like a chlorinated swimming pool, or like skin after swimming in chlorine. I know this might come across as silly or foolish or whatever, but this is what I'm getting. Chlorine and citrus peels. Nothing too outrageous, but at the same time, nothing that I personally would reach for. Nice, nonetheless...

As others have already added, a tale of two scents -- opening and dry down. The opening is a deliciously sweet jammy citrus -- it legit smells like some kind of citrus jam, delicious and UTTERLY mouthwatering. There are other trace elements here too, woodiness, resins, and of course the oud, and then, by drydown time, it morphs into a base-heavy oud number with little to no sweetness. Funnily enough, neither appeals to me! I mean, both are pleasant, but not enough to move me. I know it might sound a bit pompous and maybe a smidge cruel, but it's what I feel -- not for me, but by no means 'bad' or 'unpleasant'.

This changes so drastically from open to dry down. This opens up very citrusy, very much so like an earl grey tea minus the herbal scent. Dries down to a woody and sweet spicy oudh. 9/10. Impressive performance as well.

Grapefruit, underripe clementine, slightly peppery, white tea, jasmine, hint of tonka and cedarwood. Bortnikoff's most British-styled scent in my opinion, and definitely his most accessible scent.

Very much a happy uplifting summer citrus scent. On the bitter citrusy side because of the pine and pepper. If you just want citrus done in a highly natural way, you can't go wrong with this.

This is a very aromatic cologne type fragrance, almost bordering a fougere in my opinion. If there was lavender and more tonka/coumarin, this could also make a very nice fougere. 7.5/10