Oud Island

Opens up with a tangerine note supported by the citruses and this opening lasts quite well for the first 30 minutes but quickly the citruses mix in with the leather and the tuberose. The solar notes are the same type found in the One Million series and it dries down after to a slightly fresh slightly smoky tobacco and sandalwood with tiny hints of vanilla but not much. Fresh but has a lot going on, in a similar family to Arabian Oud Amiri and Cedrat Boise Intense as well as Montabacco Intense but not the same as either of those. No oud to be found and im very sensitive to oud (even “western ouds” like oud wood will make me gag). Longevity and projection are comfortably above average, I get 8++ hours of it so great for a “freshie”. Versatility for me is great i can wear it in the heat and the fresh notes shine great with that tuberose leather tobacco background. Uniqueness : 9.5/10 Versatility : 8/10 Longevity : 9/10 Projection : 8.5/10 Addictiveness : 8/10

A unique tropical twist on oud, leather, sandalwood & tobacco! Montale’s Oud Island starts with a combination of non-sweet citrus with tangerine orange as the standout note. The mid notes have a sort of floral aspect, but no one floral note is distinct, and the listed note of tuberose is (thankfully) not pronounced enough that I can recognise it. As the scent develops, I mostly detect a very pronounced black leather note and some tobacco, sandalwood, amber, vanilla and oud (in that order). The vanilla used here is not of the sweet, sugary nor gourmand variety, but rather is reminiscent of actual vanilla beans scraped from the pod. The oud note is not particularly ‘oudy’ and feels rather more like a generic ‘wood’. In that sense Oud Island seems like it should have been called either Tropical Leather or Tobacco Island! Despite the misnomer, Oud Island is a wonderful, unique and long lasting gem from Montale.

I sprayed this on me few days ago and I am still thinking of it. The way it developed on my skin, the way how the notes start popping one after another, was like a show with a set up program. Entertainment from the opening till thedeep dry down. Hands down, what an interesting and creative way to put together so many notes that you wouldn't think they will work together just as good as they do here. Today I almost pull the trigger but will go for another check before dedicating to a full bottle. So far great stuff 9/10

This fragrance takes me to an exotic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But instead of being on the beach, I’m walking deep into the tropical forest. All your senses are in full alert! The extremely high humidity takes out all the smells, including fruits, rotten wood, flowers and the dampness of a nearby stream of water....love this one!

Woow this is a beautiful tropical smooth citrus fragrance that transitions to a still fresh but deep lightly smokey suede woody creamy scent.This is excellent for a signature scent Montale really outdid themselves this could be their Aventus they have created a new DNA

I loved loved loved this one, i went to try the new montale fragrances (Lucky candy, holy neroli and this one) and i didn't have high hopes for this one but i had such a pleasant surprise smelling this! it even beat the others. I can't wait to get the full bottle.

i blind bought this fragrance and my first time smelling it was horrible and i didn't like it but after a while i fell in love with it i don't know why but now it's one of the favourites. it's not for everyone but it's definitely for me. 10/9

Worth to try! A very nice leather, not overwhelming, with a lot of citruses and just enough sweetness at the back. Unisex right in the middle for me. Can be worn by anyone. Might be love or hate.

One of the best and unique fresh yet warm rich Fragrances.Smells like an expensive exotic holiday in a tropical location a hidden gem from the house

Can't believe the hate from people who haven't even tried this one ... Great stuff love it

Interesting. Got sent samples of this, Lucky Candy and Holy Neroli from a friend who got them with her full bottle of Roses Musk. She hates this one but I knew I'd be more open to it because even though we share a love for rose, patchouli and vanilla combo perfumes, I can love all sorts of strange scents. I don't know if I'll wear it much, maybe layered over Vanilla 28 which makes every perfume better. It's strange, there is a tangerine note in the opening but then it dries down to powdery oud, tobacco and musk. Very smoky. Leans masculine. I can't decide if I like it or not yet. I'll have to give it another chance.* The more it dries down I can smell the leather, sandalwood, vanilla and a touch of amber but they're not main players. I don't get a lot of the other floral notes til much later when I think i detect tuberose but wouldn't have picked it out if i was blind testing it. It's definitely a legit sample though. *September 2024 testing this again and I actually do like it. I've only got a tiny sample though so won't be using it as a signature scent but it is nice. Unusual. Still very smoky, powdery but fruity. I don't know if there's as much Oud as I thought originally thought but it's there and it's a powdery sort of oud. I can really smell the leather and tangerine this time though along with tobacco. I haven't tried it layered with Vanilla 28 like I said but I will do. I think I'd like it on it's own now though. I actually wish I had a full bottle of this to use more often and spray quite a bit all over myself to really get to know it.

So much potential! Amazing smell, one of the more unique fragrances i ever smelled, perfect for a signature scent. Except there’s one dealbreaker. HOWEVER, this fragrance doesn’t last as long as it should. I applied it at 15:30 today, as of 19:40, I barely smell it on my hand. Sillage moderate, more designer sillage than niche, personally found this to perform similarly to the new HOMME INTENSE formulation😕. Hopefully over time the performance will improve, as Montale’s cans are made to help with the maceration process, so in 6 months time we’ll see. I had a similar issue with Ultra Male when I bought it, and after spring and summer it now projects like crazy, and often chokes me when applied too much. The price is amazing, 120 euros for 100ml is designer’s price, yet an absolute unique smell, which no one knows about. That’s the only reason I bought it. If the price was to be in the range of Orto Parisi or Xerjoff, I’d tell you it’s a waste of money. The low price tag allows you to spray more at once, hopefully improving the performance. This comes as a surprise, considering Montale makes beasts such as Arabians Tonka, and as this fragrance has oud, tobacco and leather, the performance, for me, is absolutely shocking. So close yet so far from perfect...

I have recently started to appreciate lighter oud frags like OFG, Haltane, Eternal Wood & Oud Malaki, so I took a bit of a risk on this one based on the notes. I was unsure at first, but it is really growing on me. "Do not" let the word "Island" make you think that this could be tropical or a summer frag. That's just your typical Montale/Mancera deceptive name. More of a cooler weather cozy fragrance. Initially, I found the opening rather conflicting. Right off the bat, to my nose, at one end I get this warm oud/tobacco combo and at the other end there is this brighter citrus/slight floral. They almost seem to be in somewhat conflict with them seemingly separated. To my pleasant surprise, in the dry down it seems to pull together with a light bit of sweetness. And what I originally found a touch disheveled, seems more coherent and has now gone from an OK to a "really" like for me. This is not mass appealing or for everyone. I don't see this as a compliment getter. I would wear this for me. Have it on a favorite hoodie for my drive home from working a night-shift.

This citrus and oud and movie is over that what you smell all the time. Easy to wear and simple nothing ground breaking but nothing bad . If you like oud shaving pencil smell and a bit of pepper and citrus this perfume for you.

Tested it yesterday in the mall, applied one on wrist and three around my neck. Could barely smell it in the following minutes, something is wrong. The profile was not easy to interpret due to weak projection. I cant believe it Pierre. Had high hopes..

Not exotic by any means and not really citrus either in terms of whole genre - yes there is citrus, but the sandalwood, wood, and soft leather dominate here. Tobacco and powder too, overall not a super heavy scent, but for me this is not a summer scent nor tropical, more of a cozy winter wear type scent that leans just a touch masculine but very unisex. Only a slight bit sweet, no stinky or barny oud in fact I'm not getting the oud much more of a touch leathery wood, the leather is also not too much here. A nice, woodsy, tobacco powdery leathery evening scent for men with a twist of citrus is how I could describe it.

Bright citrusy, floral on a back ground of smooth leather and a dash of vanilla, no oud or tobacco detected at all stages, tuberose appear in the middle. Not a Woody scent. Pleasant and polite, lacks character, leans feminine. And no it has nothing to do with Dark Vanilla, I wonder who voted for that, hell no!

This is a very good tobacco perfume as always quality from Montale. Gave myself 3 sprays on my wrist from a small test bottle and it fills my entire room. I'm not a fan of tobacco perfumes, but if this is something you like, you should test this one

Judging from the votes in section "This perfume reminds me of..." where there are choices of various perfumes of the SAME manufacturers, it's obvious that some mischievous trolls have already flooded the page of Fragrantica!!!

I’m not usually an oud fan, but I really liked it. It smells like a fit guy in a black T-shirt tough, slightly intense, yet very sensual. I love it, although I’m not fully convinced about the sillage. 8.5/10 for me