Oud Maximus

Opening: glorious sour, almost stewed orange but with a bit of sparkle from the pepper and bergamot, possibly a touch of cheesey oud (maybe that's what's making the orange seem sour) and non-indolic jasmine with cardamom to smooth it out . Whereas I almost always percieve all notes in a given pyramid at once, this genuinely gives me only the opening notes (OK, plus the oud which is already there). The perfume keeps undulating and wafting out different elements, and seamlessly tránsitions to the mid: here the rose and clove comes through, with a sort of warming effect from the magnolia and tonka. I don't perceive the frangipani necessarily but I'm sure I'd miss it if it were gone. Maybe it's giving the creaminess... Now the tart blast of the orange has calmed down and it's become a sort of pomander with the clove, but the rose and other florals stop it from seeming festive. I'm trying to find a context that the smell evokes, but aside from sharing Bortnikoff DNA with other scents, it's totally unique. There are natural, almost agrestic elements to the way the florals come across, but also the opulence I expect from the house, an opulence with transcends showiness, money, brashness, and instead is just marvelous and elegant, an all-seasons class act who is also friendly and down to earth. The dry down: the sun sets and the perfume turns darker, but still retaining the sumptuous, semi-gourmand charm. The magnolia starts to dominate the floral side, and there's something woody or vetiver-like, but I think this may be a facet of the oud(s). Something else starts to pique my taste buds, birch tar! And there's a magic something or other I can quite place, which is when I remember there's natural musk in here, as I suddenly recall other natural musk perfumes, giving a fluffy buffer to the dark wooden edges. The real civet perhaps provides a slightly sharp, urinous twang, which I attibuted to the florals at first. It's an astounding perfume, even if you didn't like it, I think you'd recognise the staggering complexity. It's also rather more restrained that some of his other perfumes, making it wearable in most situations, while still having stellar performance. It's not gonna offend or choke anyone out.

Stay with me here... This was my very first sniff of authentic oud (unless the MFK Oud line has any substantial amount of REAL oud in it, which I sincerely doubt.) I wanted to smell the real deal. At first spray, I was bewildered. Real agarwood truly isn't comparable to anything. I got some of the barnyard funk that people describe from the Hindi Oud and also the medicinal note. Truthfully, at first sniff I was turned off. I think it's because I had no grid for such an aroma and my brain was trying to compute what I was smelling. Warm and wet. Sweet and bitter. Old furniture. Tea. Wet, mossy jungle. Brought to mind the colors brown and olive green. I gave it a few hours to settle down and the animalic funk had disappeared and it became much more resinous and honeyed. That's when I noticed the florals. Beautiful rose, magnolia, and frangipani (which gives it a slightly tropical vibe). Came back a few hours later and I'm smelling fruit - peaches, plums and citrus. It's like I experienced the note pyramid in reverse because my nose was blindsided by the oud. My overall impression is a good one. My advice is to not make a judgement based on the opening. It is a little scary for the untrained nose like mine, but if you have some patience it does mellow down to something beautiful. I don't know if I could pull off wearing this, but I am so glad I tried it. Very well blended. I can definitely see why this is highly regarded as a masterpiece. EDIT: After spending some time with this one, I am utterly floored at the composition. It is exquisitely beautiful. Now that I'm familiar with real oud I can get a sense of the orange and florals right from the start and see how the oud ties it all together, giving the whole scent a honey like denseness. It has been so much fun dissecting this one and learning as I go.

One of my very best purchases of 2018, This is a dreamy olfactory interpretation of what is in my opinion, the most multifaceted, polarizing, yet enchanting of all materials “oud”. Throughout the years I’ve spent collecting I’ve developed an immense affection for oud perfumes, I like my oud fragrances full body, syrupy and skanky, love my animalic ouds but preferably when they’re complimented by sweetness and beautiful florals to soften the beast that agarwood can be, and rich spices . I love my ouds paired to a good civet, jasmine, honey, vanilla, a good caramel accord is always a great compliment to oud as well. With Oud Maximus I’ve found everything I love the most in my perfumes exceptionally well layered out ,crowning the cocktail of natural ouds featured in this majestic composition with impeccable harmony from the juicy spicy opening, to the sweet animalic floral heart featuring rich fruity nuances, jasmine and three different kinds of roses gifting a majestic harmony throughout the wearing, and into the intoxicating and extremely long lasting gourmandish oud vanilla base, radiating a skanky caramelized aroma for many hours. This is exceptionally well put together, I’m highly impressed.

The first time I wore it, I wasn't so impressed but the more I wear it and pick up the nuances in the notes, the more I love it, especially the dry-down. The opening is a bit cheesy and skanky (although not overly so like a strong natural oud), this is due to one of the three natural ouds used in it (I'm guessing the Indian), but after a couple of hours it disappears and you are left with a beautifully pleasant, sweet and floral smell. I don't actually get much civet or musk from it, the rose, oud, and vanilla are more prominent. The sillage seems pretty good, I sprayed it upstairs and my wife (who has a very sensitive nose) was on the lower floor and shouted, "Are you wearing that deer-musk wee again?!" This is definitely for connoisseurs and the bold, always try before you buy. If you are a lover of natural oud oils, I would say it is a safe blind buy that you won't regret. Roja Dove would charge triple the price for something like this.

I have sampled almost all Bortnikoff line. This is by far the brand flagship in terms of smell and quality. It doesn't radiate much of the top notes listed. It's an animalic oud, which means oud smell composed together with animalic notes. Civet and musk is making this a sexy fragrance. Birch tar provides some darkness. It's a fragrance that can be worn by young adults. I don't smell vanilla and balsam even if they are noted, might be the low traces. Middle rose and flower notes are trying to soften the aggressiveness of the fragrance. It is still a statement making fragrance, but it's not as tough as I expected. It's definitely daily wearable. I will purchase a bottle absolutely. Due to the price tag, I would spray this in special occasions. But I believe it deserves the price tag because of the quality of the ingredients. It makes more financial sense than paying $350 to a synthetic smell.

When I first got into fragrances I sought out the best oud I could find.... I got 3 samples of Bortnikoff because thats what the internet told me was one of the best houses of natural oud.... I tried and it immediately turned me off with the fecal oud smell... looking back it was a bad idea, kind of like someone who's trying blue cheese for the first time and goes to the fanciest cheese shop and buys the most gourmet aged blue cheeses. Now that I've purchased several niche perfumes.... developed more of a better understanding of oud.... and know what it's like for a perfume to settle down and evolve, I went back to this sample and I just absolutely love it. I'm going to sample a couple of other oud/rose fragrances out there before I pull the trigger and buy one... but this one is very high on my list. If you love oud/rose this is amazing. 10/10

An Amazing composition here and my first from Bortnikoff. I'm so happy to tell you, it's a home run. The first note I smelled was the Indian Oud, and then Laotian Oud, some fine roses, other mild floral undertones and some tarty citruses (likely orange) oh my world, an overwhelming experience of notes, total nasal assault. The drydown brought out some hard-core notes, civet deer musk and some sweetness. There is so much going on here but the end result is a joy for oud lovers. So far of all oud notes, laotian and Indian are my favorite Ouds, mixing both together just right is pure bliss. If you enjoy Asrar Indonesia, this will give you some of that and a whole lot more. What a delight, a fragrance non oud lovers can enjoy, so much more than oud alone here. Masterpiece! without a smidgen of doubt!

A super interesting Oriental woody scent with distinct gourmand, floral and animalic facets, this offering from Bortnikoff showcases a nice natural Laotian Oud which grabs your attention the moment this lands on the skin even though it is really a base note. The opening and middle are brief. the perfume opens with citrus, pepper and jasmine. At the heart is a nice jammy rose, frangipani, tonka bean, clove and gardenia. The base which comes fast and remains throughout the stay of the perfume is a heavy dose of Laotian Oud, civet, musk, birch tar, tolu balsam and vanilla. The resulting juice has a nice three dimensional projection and leans masculine. It has moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. Particularly suited for bold unafraid personalities not deterred by slight musky skank. Enjoy!

let me be the first to say... This perfume is pure fire. It's very sensual, you get a tight opening of rose, jasmine, oud, and musk. Very prominent rose.. very natural and not over the top. For those that have never experienced a masculine rose fragrance this is it! it is animalic so if you're not into a more grounded niche scent you will not like this one. But for me it is a masterpiece using these ingredients. When it dries down the jasmine and sandal comes into play more, while the oud is always at the forefront. I think it's brilliant.. it is a scent for personal taste and pure satisfaction.. You have to try to understand. It's one of those that you smell and you are not sure but you can't stop sniffing it. And after some time you turn to really love it.

Amazing Floral/Rose Oud scent. Starts off with a blast of citrus, heady florals, oud and musk. This opening can be very hard to handle imo. The first couple of times I tested this Perfume on skin it was too much for me and it gave me a headache. I think for many people it will be the same. But you need to stick to this Perfume. After you get used to it you'll be able to appreciate its beauty. What is left after the harsh opening is a beautiful musky, creamy Rose Oud scent. It's very light and wearable. The scent doesn't project very much after the opening but it stays on your skin for a long time, leaving a sweet, pissy musk after a day of wearing. This also varies a lot depending on skin type, especially since its natural perfumery.

I think I have been influenced by other’s opinion and I have found myself blind buying this one, a full bottle... One can tell it’s from Feel Oud / Areej le Dorè, same footprint. Totally wearable. The vomit like smell given off by the Ouds in here dissipates in a few minutes. It’s soooo floral with rose and Frangipani (these 2 guys put this everywhere), a bit musky, bright, citrusy as hell when you spray it. Ottoman Empire is dirtier in my opinion. I though of buying a skanky beast, but I received a purring kitten. I think that these 2 amazing guys needs to refine and learn more. I am not referring to Oud oils, but perfumes

The more time passes with this bottle I get MASSIVE deer musk, plus all the other notes but barely a trace of oud. This is not a problem, because it's beautiful, but I've smelled a sample of the Autumn 2019 version and it has a huge cheesey oud for the first hour which is totally missing from my version (gold edged box, flacon with metal ribbed cap). Coming back to it again, the citrus is harsh and cleaner-like at the top. I have many Bortnikoff scents and this is probably my least favourite now. I like it less the more I have worn it over the last year.

If your beginning to dive into real odds, this may be the safest offering from Bortnikoff. It's a smooth cheesey oud. All the rough edges are taken out with florals, creamy woods and warm spices. I have a 9 ml, but will not get a bottle, as it gets old or a bit boring fast. It's very nice and made somewhat mass appealing. If your looking for something more adventurous and intriguing from Bortnikoff, in his oud offerings, I would recommend Lao Oud, or Mysterious Oud.

The more acceptable and accessible side of oud As long as you can get through the first hour In the first hour it reminds me of azmans risk although this is twice as good After the funk settles down it becomes a more intense and more complex dna of LV’s nouevua monde Performance is for the ages It lasts the whole day Very good creation by the brand Looking forward to try the rest

What to say this is oud lovers dream come true, complex yet wearable perfect from start to the end not your typical synthetic banyard oud. This is one of the most wearable oud so authentic, with astonishing citrus opening. Definitly best pick up of the last 5 years and in my top 5 oud composition of all time. Thank you Dmitry for this masterpiece 10/10 easily

My best oud purchase of 2018. This is amazing stuff. The oud is pleasant and not over powering or barnyard, it is still animalic, without being too dirty. The opening is powerful but this settles into a complex shifting fragrance. Spicy, Woody, floral all at the same time. This is the definition of masterpiece.

Wonderful scent. I believe this scent was dedicated to his son. Everything just fits. The orange oud opening just captivated me. The responses below sum it up better than I could. All I know is I bought a couple of bottles knowing it's time was nigh. In fact this Bortnikoff series has all been outstanding.

Tried it out hated it scrubbed it off decided to give it another go to get through the funky start my god wow what a fragrance incredible longevity and still I would recommend to higher trained noses this ain’t for a supermarket run lol

Frangipani OUD. Love it! Very deep yellow flower+oud animalic scent. sophisticated, but my nose definitely pick strong frangipani presence and stays with me for many hours. High quality - YES! will i buy the whole bottle - YES!

Wondeful. The oud is pungent at the start, yet pleasant to those who are familiar with real oud. The fragrance is complex and develops beautifully into a bitter sweet musky, floral oud. Leans Masculine IMO.