Precious Oud

Mancera Precious Oud is yet another 2019 release the Montale/Mancera empire that keeps churning out new fragrances like a factory. I really enjoyed sampling Montale Oud Dream the other day and Mancera Precious Oud does not disappoint, either. The note list is complex, not Roja-esque, but a lot more than the rose/patchouli/oud breakdown of Oud Dream. Precoius Oud has the rose and oud, unsurprisingly, but it has sweet and boozy hints as well: tiramisu, whiskey, and leather are listed verbatim, along with a handful of florals and a familiar dry down of patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, amber, and oakmoss. So the note list is a lot to digest, no food pun intended, but the upshot for me as a balance between a rose/oud fragrance and a gourmand sweet/boozy fragrance, and a pretty even balance, at that. It’s a nod to both the rose/oud lovers and gourmand lovers. As usual, the performance is very strong, certainly more than satisfactory for the type of scent it is, something I’d be more inclined to wear in cooler weather, when the juice needs to be a bit stronger to stand out. I might not quite love it as much as Oud Dream but it’s surely a winner, for me, one I need to try some more but a release that I’m impressed with upon trying it even just once. The only retail option in the US that I see for now is Osswald NYC, a great shop, but they’re currently sold out of it, and it’s almost certainly at the standard Mancera pricing of $180 for 120m Overall, I’m very pleased with this one, another banger from this company. 8 out of 10

Blind bought this because the youtube reviews rave about this being amazing. I was looking to get Wild Leather by Macera, but changed my mind last minute. I also have a decant of Amber Fever (Mancera) from months before. On initial spray (half spray) of Precious Oud, I noticed it was super sweet and almost identical to Amber Fever - with zero oud. So I let it sit on my skin for a while and it remained the same. Later I went out and sprayed a small amount on myself and I could smell it all night, but it was the same Amber Fever. I mean, I could almost smell the oud and tiramisu if I used my imagination, but I was almost certain I that because I bought a tester bottle that I was getting an old formulation or that it was mismarked. I compared Amber Fever and Precious Oud this morning on separate arms and they were only slightly different but the same nuances. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Today I went out and thought, maybe I will give it a full wearing before I decide to sell it. So I sprayed two full sprays on myself and minutes later I got the oud and the tiramisu, and finally I understand the youtube hype. This is a very nice smelling fragrance that is somewhat similar to Amber Fever but the oud is there and it is clean and really nice. Definitely a fragrance I will use for the cooler to cold months and unisex for me. If anyone experieced the same issues as myself, I would suggest being patient and giving it a few tries with full atomizer sprays because that made all the difference for me.

Believe the hype! For those that love gourmands with an oud twist, this is a welcome addition. Sweet oud opening in the way of Instant Crush and Oud for Greatness. The dry down with tiramisu and vanilla makes it unique. Opening is a very nice sweet note combined with a mild oud that is great for those looking for an intro fragrance to oud. If you can’t handle this oud opening, you can’t handle most other oud fragrances. The dry down brings forth a chocolatey tiramisu note. Very sweet but tamed by the oud note that sticks around. Rose balances out the heart really well. Vanilla rounds it all out adding the depth and some complexity. For me, it really is that good. Longevity and projection are easily above average. Easily unisex. This smells just as nice on my wife. Best for fall/winter...and could be worn on warmer days by spraying less. Value here is of the charts. $80 for 4oz of a fragrance that lasts almost all day and projects well is fabulous. For me, this is easily a love. It is a unique gourmand fragrance that stands out in its addition of oud. Saying that, I would recommend getting a sample and wear it for a few days to see how you like it, before purchasing a full bottle. Well done Mancera...well done.

Awesome scent! When I first sprayed this, I smelled a very acrid and acidic note that I didn't care for. Needless to say, I thought this was going to be a scrubber. Instead, I let it sit and dry for a few minutes and this blossomed into what is now probably one of my 2 favorite Manceras of all time! Fruity, woody, airy oud, nice hints of saffron and Guiac wood, but the guiac note doesn't overpower the scent like it does in many others. There was not another single displeasing whiff throughout the life of the fragrance, which is VERY long. Long story short, give it a minute to dry, and you will be pleasantly rewarded! This is exactly the fruity-boozy-oudy blend that I've been looking for. I assume the fruitiness I keep referring to is strictly due to the boozy notes mixed with bergamot, but this scent reminds me of the fruitiness that comes across in Mugler Pure Malt (although it doesn't smell the same). I suppose it could also be the amber-patchouli combination which often has this effect as well. Testing this one more, I have to say, I really enjoy this one!

I agree with most of the reviewers here. Precious Oud is a worthy addition to Mancera's growing repertoire. In fact I love this more than Instant Crush which is dubbed as Baccarat's dupe. On the initial spray, it smells a bit skanky, it is definitely the oud, a bit dirty, up close it smells funny, but within the arm's length it smells beautiful. The whisky is there as well, give it a little bittersweet vibe. In the middle I can still detect Mancera's DNA (or Montale), the rose, it is lush, blood red and sweet. At this phase I'm afraid that it would turn into other Mancera rose-based perfumes... Thankfully it's not, the rose keeps being in the background as a backup singer for the oud... Then came the vanilla, turning the whole composition into gourmand territory. This is where the tiramisu appears, and with the pairing vanilla+amber, things rarely go wrong. Final thoughts, this is a longlasting wonderful perfume that is not typical Mancera/Montale. Though the opening is a bit challenging, I still think this perfume is worthy a blindbuy.