The Collection Confident Oud

I get a strong whiskey and oud scent, with a lightly burnt sugary note (probably comes from the bran accord). When i say whiskey, think of a single malt, not too heavily peated. There is an undertone of sweetnes, problably coming from the bran. It is a rather linear scent. I also get a suggested tobacco note - which brings me to my comparison: Tobacco oud by Tom ford. I would like to say this is a slightly less dark version of tobacco oud, not bright at all, but slightly less dark. I think this comes from the lack of incense in Confident Oud. It is also slightly less boozy than Tobacco oud. Projection on this one is somewhere between strong and moderate. I get a strong projection for like 3-4 hours, and then i like to re-apply for the stronger projection. Longevity is pretty much eternal, but given that is as a skinscent after around the 7-8 hour mark. Seeing to the fact that you nowadays can find this scent for around the 65 euro mark, it makes for great value for money. Me i personally would have loved to own tobacco oud instead of this, but the fact that tobacco oud is very discontinued and expensive at this point, i find this to be a great alternative to said scent. Overall 9/10 for me, as I love these types of scents.

SO UNDERATED! It’s definitely similar to The London Dandy, also Straight to Heaven (though much dryer/far less sweet) and Baroanda (also less sweet than this). If you like any of those you will love this one. I can’t say the Oud is noticeable (ok to clarify its a similar Oud to Gucci Intense Oud, or even Initio Oud For Greatness; i.e its just wood accord, as opposed to Oud like in say Xerjoff Ether, Alexandria II, Mamluk etc). So the smell is a single malt Islay whisky barrel... the whisky and wood notes are what you smell. It’s a gentlemanly boozy smell, but quite subtle after the boozy opening, it just dries down to a whisky barrel woods scent. This is office safe as its projection is quite moderate, and because it’s not sweet (quite dry) it doesn’t give anyone a headache. I’m really surprised how little this is talked about considering how directly comparable it is to very high quality niche perfumes. It’s great to wear to cigar lounge (but overspray). Spray normally and it’s a great office scent with a difference (though best in fall/winter cool or cold weather). What a find!

Boozy opening, followed by a dominant oud (feels more like a rich woody note) backed by a hint of smoke, with a plum sour nuance. The performance is linear and solid, like many other The Collection bottles—just a high-quality bottle with a very natural scent. This actually made me reminisce about a distillery tour I took in Kentucky; the scent is almost identical to what I smelled standing by rows of aging whiskey barrels during that tour. This juice needs about a month to bloom. When you first spray it, it might smell a bit flat, but give it a month and it really opens up! This bottle is also amazing for layering. It can be easily layered with Courageous Rose or Exhilarating Vanilla to create an ultra-luxurious vibe. If you layer Exhilarating Vanilla with Confident Oud, it literally goes BOOM and you basically get an "Intense Oud" (Vanilla Edition). Cheers!!

My goodness. Thankfully I did not pay too much heed to the negative reviews below. Ropion hit this one out of the park as usual. Slightly tart, smoked, woody, spiced, boozy oud delight for a charismatic gentleman. Agarwood is certainly present but tucked under the dry cedar which permeates this fragrance. With the saturation of lackluster oud's and oud flankers now sweeping the western market, consider this a mercy or a pleasant change.

Very nice and unique, opens more oud-y and dries to whiskey-bourbon scent. Very strong, one or two spritzes are more than enough. Lasts very long. I originally wanted it for myself (woman), but it was too strong and a bit headachey, so instead my man wears it. It is unisex, but definitely more masculine. The price is crazy though.