Oud Maximus Autumn 2019

When I first heard about Bortnikoff and started reading like mad the reviews, watching the videos, the in-depth analyses and so, I got the idea some of them would be too much, especially for my untrained nose and the particular surrounding I live in where people can't stand perfume containing real oud, musk, etc. Oud Maximus seemed to be the most challenging among them but still I went for a 9ml, blind. I was immediately blown away and ran to get the 50ml (that was a mistake as the small decant can last you for 2 years lol). I would spritz a tiny amount and lie down on the floor, close my eyes, and smell my wrist again and again. It's the only one in the Bortnikoff line (that I love btw) that produced this amazement and that's, I guess, why I keep thinking this represents the pinnacle of Dmitry's work. It's strong, daring, sexy! It's a statement fragrance indeed, just like O'driu's Pee or Areej's Russian musk are, and there's nothing offputting or weird smelling as in many other funky ouds. The mix of spices, orange and oud is to die for, it took me a while to pinpoint the rose but now I see it's there from start to finish. It's such a work of art, people, and I think it is very wearable too, but it needs to be applied responsibly not to make people choke. You get 24+ hours of true magic. Totally unrelated to Areej style ouds, the same high quality but showcasing a different profile. If you've tried Mysterious oud, this is its wicked, younger, gorgeous looking cousin.

It's weird how all over the place the reviews on this are. To me this opens with heavy cardamom, pepper, some animalic notes (primarily civet smelling but some is definitely oud funk). I actually don't get a ton of citrus on my bottle but maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the other notes. Under this is some synthetic vanilla/tonka like you see in many niche and designer scents now. I actually am not put off by this, as Mr. Butt Sniffer was below, as some of that sweetness helps balance the sour/fecal oud nicely. I don't find this to be nearly as challenging as many other, much more fecal or cheesy ouds. It's a beautiful, spicy, lightly sweet oud forward scent. I don't get tons of rose here, which surprised me based on the notes, but it's definitely floral in the background. I find the oud notes last 5-6 hours, not minutes per below. Once the oud fades you're left with a cardamom/vanilla/tonka/clove scent that has gotten me positive attention. I get 7-9 hours of longevity with moderate projection for 3-4 hours off of 2 sprays. Not a monster but performs better than a few of the comments on this and on the original seem to state. A 8.5/10 for me. It's not my favorite from Bortnikoff but it's a very well made oud that has a perfect home in cool weather night times. Note: I got mine at a hefty discount from a sales board so for what I paid ($250) I was very pleased.

99% identical to the original Oud Maximus! Do not hesitate to get this as a backup to your original Oud Maximus - it's nearly indistinguishable from the original, even if compared side by side.

No different to the original, IMO, one of the best (if not the best) from the house of Bortnikoff.

Got a full bottle of this. On my skin, the main accord is Oud, rose, vanilla, Tonka and a bit of civet in the background. Slightly animalic with a hint of barnyard, this isn't skanky or anything like that. Projection and sillage are below average, with very poor longevity of about 5hr. Overall this is reserved, balanced, civilized, natural, and authentic. Unfortunately, the performance is the Achilles heel.

After reading these reviews I’m truly perplexed. Is there high quality oud in abundance in this? Yes, absolutely. Several varieties of oud have there own limited time to shine upon initial spray. Does that time last beyond 20 minutes? Absolutely not. Also, where is the rose(s) that is(are) being referenced? Sure it’s floral, but rose? No. No fucking way. Instead there is a cloying ambrox/vanilla floral combo that lasts and lasts forever, almost like a cheap laundry detergent, emanating from some house you walk by in winter that follows you forever. The bergamot, pink peppercorn also cardamom are also a fantastic opening act that steal the show completely. Unfortunately there is no headliner here. Ultimately this smells cheap, which is unfortunate given the parts of its whole. Good ingredients, Amateur parfumer.

Was about to buy a bottle but got a sample first and thank god. I don't find it any good, it smells like goats piss on the opening, then it becomes sweet rose and goats piss and then it dries out to goats piss again. The oud they used is animalic in a bad way. It's not the typical barnyard oud you find in Frédéric Malle The night, which dries down to an earthy, damp forest oud. The Night is really daring oud for the first 20 minutes but it dries down perfectly. This one is sharp and it reminds me only of urine throughout the whole journey of this fragrance. Wouldn't like to smell this way.

I'm in two minds about this one, and have been for at least the last 4 or 5 wears. It's doing my head in, it really TRULY is. Parts of me really love it, and other parts of me just are not swayed enough to move on this. Whenever I'm in a 'test' mode (LOL the last 7+ years!), I need to be either meh about a scent or legit dislike it. This one is sitting somewhere between meh and love. The sharp rose-cardamom element, along with the ouds to speak to me, but this motif is DONE to death. I have smelt this element COUNTLESS times in my life, COUNTLESS, so part of me finds it nice, but not unique enough. I mean, when you do the maths, you can only really wear one scent a day, and if you love that scent, maybe once or twice a fortnight. Then, if you calculate that outwards, only about 10 or so scents per season, which makes buying a scent for the price a Bortnikoff scent sells for something you really REALLY need to ponder. I mean, buying a scent like this for those once-in-a-while sprtizes is not the same thing as buying an extra bottle of vanilla essence to keep in the pantry 'just in case'. These scents are expensive, and justifiably so, but in that awful finance-based decision, you have to really REALLY weight up if indeed you are gonna come even remotely close to using a decent chunk of a $350 USD bottle, and I keep coming back to the "it seems unlikely". Bloke, I think I just answered my own question...

got a sample of this with a recent purchase, and OH MY GOODNESS, this takes me back... when i first got into the 'fume game, i bought a whole heap of knock-off oils (replicas of other oils), and this oud oil i came across smelts EXACTLY like this. without doing any research, i think the scent i have in mind is an 'al haramain' scent, and it was called something quasi-generic like 'oudh maliki' or something similar. THAT was an oil and this maximum reminds me of THAT oil. the rose is what hits you front and centre, it more-or-less carries the scent. for me, the oud(s) ride off the back of this and piggyback from the rose, which in essence, makes this a little more rose-centric than you may otherwise think. the cardamom is sharp, acidic and quite bitter, a perfect counterweight to the sweetness of the rose. minor traces of animalic stank (not necessarily from the oud, mind you) are also lingering there in the background, but by and large, it's rose, oud and sharp snark. not exactly my cup of tea, but damn nice and damn well made.

Coming back to this, more than four years later, I am glad I didn't act on this. It is undeniably special, undeniably beautiful, but I fear that not only does it smell like a lot of other floral-spice ouds, it smells quite similar to a lot of other Bortnikoffs. The oud in this holds its own, there's no question there, and there is plenty going on in the background for me to be kept interested, but the bottom line here is that I have come across a few other scents from the same perfumer that are really similar, and for that reason, I gotta say, I couldn't justify purchasing this. If this was his ONLY scent in the floral-oud style, then probably, but as it is not, this one is not for me...

My favorite from Bortnikoff, Beautiful Oud paired with a dark orange blossom note, a liiittle bit of funk, still very wearable for me, yet my friends find it too much for their taste. Very original like always with Bortnikoff, a true artist. I also get the Musk and a creamy floral touch. Wouldn't wear it to attract attention, it is more of a meditative type of scent. Personally I use this one anytime I miss it, whenever season. If you love complex fragrances, this is a perfect introduction to artisanal Oud Perfumery. Good longevity, moderate sillage. 9.5/10 in my humble opinion

I bought a sample of Oud Maximus following the reviews by the Wafts From The Loft team. My impressions - blown away. A lovely oud and floral mix and the performance is strong. 12 hours later, it's still going strong. The name may put some people off, giving the impression that it's a oud powerhouse, it's not. Those who aren't big fans of will still love this. It's expensive, but once you understand the cost of each natural note, you begin to appreciate that you're paying for the juice and not supplementing a huge marketing budget.

Have not checked the original but this again is winner from the house. I get oud from the 1st go. For a brief moment it looked like going into mysterious oud way but it changed the track in first 15-20 seconds only.i mostly get oud and rose in the beginning followed by Jasmine.i can’t pick each note but the overall experience is awesome. As the name suggests I will wear this in Autumn,spring seasons. 2 Spray is sufficient for a good performance.

Floral citrus oud, well balanced. Strong projection ans spillage. I sprayed 4 times and choked my wife, so go easy on the trigger. Haven't compared to original but this one is a winner and blind buy worth if you like floral oud fragrances. Bortnikoff is a master and it shows through his creations. This is not your designer, mall provided cologne. Magical.

Start with a nice oud-rose middle east twist but then a lot of rose - rose - rose. I prefer denser, darker smells like Areej le Dore at least in the oud on me. Good smells Bortnikoff perfumes but overprice. I recommend trying all the perfumes Bortnikoff and not trusting the reviews and youtube channels. Look at your nose.