Oud Edition

Bought this, blind, because Fragrantica had led me to believe that I might like a Montale or Mancera oud, plus this one was going for a reasonable price on Notino. Anyway I wanted an oud, such as this, that was fairly uncomplicated (with or without the rose note), solid and perhaps even generic, so that it could stand on its own two feet but might also be good for layering. I haven't worn this enough to have a nuanced view of it, but I really like it. To me the rose here is much stronger than the voting suggests. It really hits the sweet spot for balancing the oud and co. I'm sure the incense accord in particular, probably with the sandalwood, plays a big part in the fact that I don't primarily experience the oud as the grainily medicinal kind that I find to be the most common in Western oud fragrances. For me the overall effect here, with the oud at centre stage, is creamier than those Western scents and also has a light powdery aspect. The oud, to my nose, is definitely indolic a lot of the time, and as smooth as a baby's dirty bum. Wearing this in moderation only, misted onto my clothes, I love it. My capacity to describe the individual notes and accords is limited because I have sometimes layered this. I was expecting it to be dark enough to serve as a workhorse for darkening fragrances that were lacking in the base, but the rose here is initially so prominent for me that I doubt that this will see much darkening duty. Still, I've had some fun wearing this under a fairly uncomplicated rose-forward Western fragrance. That way, I've been able to add some compatible side notes, and get rose effects ranging from the candied, Turkish delight type to a stunning scrunched-up petal powder. This is in spite of the fact that, on its own, the rose in that other fragrance that I've layered this with smells very much like a living, almost breathing, deep red rose in an English country garden. Here's the thing though. Oud Edition is a solid, robust fragrance. In terms of wine, you might say that this were on a par with a quality high-altitude Argentinian Malbec. Now, please understand that I am not suggesting that this actually smells like Malbec or any other wine, even though the wearer may well get the occasional waft of something not that far removed from that. What I mean is that, even with a couple of years of ageing under its belt, Malbec probably isn't the most complicated or appealing wine, or even red wine, on the planet, nor is it the most robust, nor, definitely, the most expensive. If you come to this fragrance weary from smelling countless quality ouds from the Muslim world and so on--if you're looking for the oud equivalent of an immaculately aged big-shot 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild Bordeaux to wake you from your slumber--then Oud Edition may not do much for you. That's probably not what it's aiming for, though. Malbec can be a credible tipple and delicious in its own right and its own context (ideally, served with a slab of deliciously grilled, dead Argentinian cow 🇦🇷 🐮), so why the hell would you want to blend it with another wine? That other wine would sure as hell need some body of its own, just to avoid being swamped by the Malbec. Why bother? Why adulterate a perfectly good red? Pour yourself a glass and enjoy the damn Malbec. Oud Edition? It may not knock your socks off if you're well versed in oud, and maybe it doesn't deserve a whole lot of prizes for originality etc., but it is a great, substantial, tasteful oud, that can be relished, in moderation, on its own, whenever the opportunity to wear this kind of stuff (in the cooler months) without pissing off everyone around you comes up.

Montale Oud Edition is a 2021 release that’s a very pleasant take on oud/rose/leather concept that Montale and Mancera have produced—arguably, to excess—in a very large catalogue that includes many scents that arguably fit this profile. It immediately strikes me as a smoother, more rounded out take on a couple of recent favorites of mine, both 2019 offerings, Mancera Precious Oud and Montale Oud Dream. Oud Edition is a bit safer than both, frankly, without the booze of Precious Oud or some of the sharper edge of Oud Dream, and it’s not over-the-top rosy, so it’s a really nice introductory option for this type of fragrance. It’s also less sharp and heady than Montale Red Aoud, Black Aoud, or White Aoud. Overall, I think this fragrance is great, but it’s simply a bit redundant with other options I love, but I’d encourage others to check it out if it seems interesting. It performs well, has a great balance of notes without any individual accord taking over, and is a great example of what this brand does so well—smooth ouds with rose and sometimes leather (as in this case), saffron, other resins, etc. I obtained my sample from Olfactif (at the standard $170 for 100ml pricing), an official retailer, and there are other official retailers/boutiques in the US like Krystal Fragrance, and it’s sold on the secondary market as well via FragranceNet. 8 out of 10

#1544 in my "Tour de Fragrance" The only brand I have tried out more of than Montale is Mancera. There are some Montale scents that have disappointed me, but not many. I've tried 32, and I gave passing grades to all but 4. Some are really great, but mostly they're just nice, good quality scents at a reasonable price. If Montale does anything it's oud, and I like most of them. The majority do the traditional Mideastern oud and rose thing, though the oud is a Westernized oud. I prefer the leather scents. If you can do without the rose, and I can, you have several to choose from, and I prefer the most masculine one that comes off like a saddle shop, "Aoud Cuir d'Arabie." But "Oud Edition" is a really nice, good quality scent, and the rose not only isn't dominant, it isn't that persistent. So if like me you just want the leather and agarwood and are good with an almost imperceptible floral, give it fifteen minutes of so of dry down and you'll be happy with this. It's a good quality scent for any environment, fairly priced, unisex, masculine leaning, attractive, a compliment getter, and not likely to offend as long as you go easy. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

For a long time I was looking for precious oud. Unfortunately all ouds are oud-rose or oud-vanilla combos where the second note is more prominent than the oud itself. Oud-rose combo is giving me old granny perfume from 1987 and I can't stand them. But I finally found the perfect oud combination I was looking for. Very strong precious oud /not skanky or fecal oud/, soft and sweet leather (it's not rubbery type), the incense is amazing, sandalwood wich creamy vanilla touch around it, and bulgarian rose-musk combo which lingers around the eges. Bulgarian rose is amazing, as I use to say-bulgarian rose is always that "secret spice" to make a perfume masterpiece. It's a bit sweet, floral and jammy rose. Don't get me wrong-it's not rose scent. First couple of minutes the bulgarian rose is very prominent but after a while it goes way backwards and sparkles from time to time around the edges. Longevity: 12+ Projection: 3-4 strong then goes moderate.

Top 3 of all Montale male perfumes, in my opinion. This is what high society clubs smell like. Everything about it says "high class" and "noble", expensive whiskey in a crystal glass, freshly unpacked expensive leather, oak and conifer furniture that still has this fresh noble timber smell, rare niche perfumes of the guests flow in the air... The incense/smoke note here is very elegant, it`s not churchy, or meaty or a "forest fire" smell (as in most frequent variation of smoky perfumes). This is a distant smoked wooden barrel smell. (With all these alcohol mentioning there is no booze smell, just the elegant side of the complex drinks and the whisky bar timber note). Good bit of oud, a shadow of a medicinal rose... Everything is present and vivid, (it`s still Montale) but nothing is overpowering. This is a beautifully layered posh male scent :)