Kingmaker

One of the best oud fragrances one can buy for $300 or less. This is a bargain for what it is. When I show this to my Middle Eastern clients at Bergdorf Goodman, many of them can’t believe it’s so inexpensive for its quality. It’s priced at the same level as Frederic Malle’s Promise in a 50ml and compared to Promise the Oud in Kingmaker is on a completely different level. It’s on par with some of the highest priced ouds in the Desert Gems Collection at Frederic Malle. The ratings are low because the folks who voted can’t understand the language this fragrance is speaking. If you appreciate a well made natural oud, and u know who you are, then you must get your nose on this. It’s beautiful and the drydown is where the magic is. I find it amazing that one of the better ouds on the market comes from a black owned brand from Harlem NYC and few people knows it exists.

WARNING: The initial spray may be a little stronger than you would expect. The first scent is pure Assam oud—in your face, animalic, and even a little funky. Woody, deep, and earthy, it evokes ancient times at their most primordial. Once it dries down, the oud has a smoother, more melodic undertone, thanks to the patchouli and sandalwood base notes. After the final dry down, the pimento and cardamon in the high notes kick in to give Kingmaker a spicy flavor. Meanwhile, the gurjun balsam oil blends the stronger wood notes and sets a delicate background. I don't smell lavender and rose petals initially when I wear it because the oud and spices take over. It has some sweetness after one hour, which could be the bergamot. But the lavender eventually kicks in to calm down the oud. Kingmaker will not be for everyone; I definitely would call it a masculine scent. I would wear it in a formal setting requiring a suit, and particularly if I want to stand out.

The comparisons to Rania J and King Blue are apropos. Kingmaker is not as good as either of those, but it's a good chunk of change cheaper than the Amouage. A fruity, slightly funky oud with excellent longevity. I wish the oud was more prominent, but I realize I'm in the minority for Western audiences. Fantastic longevity; moderate sillage. 7/10

I will preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Chris Collins' fragrances; I own five of them. Kingmaker was announced with Lust as his two new fragrance launches for 2024. I was very excited to see what magic he created with these two new offerings. I ordered Lust first because everyone was gushing over how phenomenal it was; they weren't lying. Lust also was $225 vs Kingmaker which was $300 (the highest price on his site). As I stated, the reviews for Lust were numerous and overwhelmingly positive, however, I couldn't find a single review about Kingmaker, good or bad. I wondered if the price-point was discouraging people from buying? I kept holding out, waiting for someone to post a review, lengthy or short, it didn't matter, just something; nothing. So, I finally bit the bullet and decided I would do something I almost never do, blind-buy. Truly one of the worst decisions I have ever made. When you hear the name Kingmaker for a fragrance, you think of royalty and opulence; a scent truly worthy of holding that title. Kingmaker is followed by "Master of Oud." Collins uses pure oud Assam for Kingmaker, which I've never smelled before, and after this, will never want to smell again. It needs to be stated that oud Assam is native to India. Indian oud has a particular characteristic that other ouds do not; it smells of manure. I will say, Oud is usually polarizing for people in general; some love it and others can't stand it. I happen to fall under the category where I'm indifferent to it. It doesn't evoke any overly positive feelings in me, nor negative ones. I received my package and remarked the beautifully striking, cobalt blue bottle. With high anticipation I took my first spray on my wrist; I was immediately repulsed. Your nose will be assaulted with the strongest barnyard floor, manure smell you've ever smelled; it is absolutely revolting. If you are new to oud, or have fragrances that have oud in them, and like them, I guarantee that it smells nothing like this. Because oud is such a strong and distinct scent, when the oil is crafted into a fragrance, it's usually mixed with stronger notes like florals or citruses to temper that odour. Even though lavender and rose petals are listed, the oud is so overpoweringly noxious, that you'll never get to smell them. When I looked up oud Assam, it said that the fecal smell will generally fade away after 20-30 minutes and you'll discover the rest of the fragrance. That smell didn't leave, only slightly faded about 40 minutes in. Once that happened, all I was left with was the strong scent of leather (oud will have that scent even if a leather note isn't used), and a very sour citrus/balsamic combo (the bergamot and Gurjan balsam). You do get the spiciness of the pimento, but combining it with the oud just makes it smell like warm cow dung. It's important to remember to always wait until a fragrance has completely dried out to have the full experience, but every phase of Kingmaker is repellant. I had three other people smell it, and they all had this look of utter disgust on their faces afterwards. "Why would anyone want to smell like this?" and "this smells like sewage," was the overall consensus. This title of this scent bestowed upon it by Mr. Collins, isn't warranted in the least. This is not a fragrance fit for a king, but instead a stable boy. If you are a lover of very animalic oud scents, this has your name on it. This could have been released by Amouage, who are known for their very strong and polarizing fragrances. It actually smells very similar to Opus XV – King Blue by Amouage; that same barnyard floor smell. This is NOT a blind-buy fragrance. In closing, I am very disappointed that I purchased this fragrance, and will be exchanging it for VideCorMeum, instead. Use me as a cautionary tale/sacrificial lamb to not buy this. You dropped your crown with this one, Mr. Collins

I’m just getting into Oud Assam. No other western brand offers this type of Oud at this price. @damightyheru is absolutely right. I have silver Oud already so I am not going to pull the trigger but this stuff is undeniably for the price. I sampled it and was appalled but then my wife said it doesn’t smell bad. Weeks later I sampled Silver Oud and the opening was similar. Once again appalled. But I walked away from Silver Oud and came back to a beautiful deep Vanilla and Oud. I look forward to revisiting King Maker.