Oud Shamash

I first tried this and marked it as a love earlier in the year and thought I had reviewed it already (obviously not) but don't let that fool you, it wasn't because Oud shamash didn't make an impression on me...this stuff is magic. The different company has always intrigued me and despite dipping my toe into them, in store I haven't really extensively sampled them. Oud shamash is totally tailored to my tastes as I get mainly incense and balsamic tones of tolu balsam, Labdanum and exotic fruits and pink pepper in the top. Then a boozy sailor Jerry spiced rum, on a bed of Oud which is unsurprisingly sourced from Laos, seemingly the Mecca of rotting trees. A curiously warm, rich, Amber Oud which is manages to be uplifting and light on its feet in that olibanum type way, fizzy and nearly green and mashing up these disparate concepts is no mean feat to achieve. It really reminds me of a high end and much deeper more complex version of Paul smiths Portrait. This comparison just speaks to how good Portrait actually is, because I absolutely love Oud shamash. The deep drydown mutates into a different fragrance it's a very deep, woody creamy, Amber Oud with only hints at what came before. You can tell the quality and the care that went into making this heavenly juice. Lasting power is great and I wore a very small amount and silage and projection was good. I'm getting a bottle, it's as simple as that.

The best offering from Different Company. Quality of ingredients and overall blending is through the roof. No wonder, as the nose behind it is Bertrand Duchaufour, man who knows how to make his orientals. I do not see any similarity with Artisan’s Al Oudh, there is absolutely no B.O. smell (referenced below by fellow reviewers). Trust me, I repeatedly tested Al Oudh (on skin - that is a must in this case) and this one is worlds apart. What I love is the overall dryness, any sweet facets are more of balsamic quality of used resins, even the vanilla used is not really sweet in this cheap vulgar way seen in way too many niche oud perfumes. The base reminds me more of Jubilation XXV from the same author. The blackberry fruitiness is replaced with boozy spices. Oud in here is very subtle, non-offensive and accompanied with more general woodsy notes. Most appealing for me was the lack of annoying sweetness. If you want oud fragrance that is non-sweet, masculine leaning, yet not rough or synthetic at all, just give it a try. The Different Company offers sample sets, where you can test before you commit and can deduct the cost from the next purchase, so this makes it ideal candidate for your next sampling.

I test fragrances all the time, but only a few have intrigued me so much that I couldn’t stop sniffing my arm. This is one of them. It’s a complex fragrance with a truly unique scent. What makes it special is how refined it is, with so many beautiful notes blending perfectly. If you love boozy, oriental, oud, leather, incense, or even vanilla, or earthy fragrances, this one has a little bit of all of them. But that’s where the magic lies—it doesn’t overwhelm you with any single note. Instead, it gives just enough of each to keep you exploring and intrigued, like a fine dinner at an artistic restaurant, where you want to taste every small bite. It’s definitely not for beginners. But if you’re an experienced fragrance enthusiast, you’ll appreciate it deeply. Bertrand Duchaufour has created something truly exceptional here—complex, refined, and opulent. This is easily one of his best works and an outstanding fragrance overall. 9/10

Now this one is a little difficult to describe as it gives me a happiness vibe from my past but I don’t know which part of my life is, maybe the free time between uni seamsters. It is a complex scent in which you will definitely find boozy notes, spicy and woody specially cedar, Patchouli and finally oud which is well forged into its core. This one is not harsh at all , on the contrary it is one of the most accurately balanced perfumes. Leans a bit toward masculine scents. Best in DC line imho. 4.5/5 Age:+30 Autumn nights And winter days and nights. More masculine but definitely could be considered as unisex. Long lasting and heavy projection.

This smells like a perfect blend of 3 perfumes i just couldn't wear: pardon, sequoia red from comme de garcons and Jubilation XXV, for me, this is the perfect blend of all three, the incense, oud smell is very persistent but does get smoother and creamier after an hour or so, the dry down is to die for. This is beautiful but a bit harsh just a fair warning 10/10 Note: Yup sequoia and jubilation mentioned above are done by the same purrrfumer Mr. Bertrand Duchaufour Nite 2: i definitely recommend to spray this behind your neck or on your chest

Refined and sexy, this is a great example of oud done right. I can sense all the listed top notes and cypriol in the opening. Then just enough rose in the mid to complement the oud, but not make it into a rose-forward scent like most rosy ouds I've sampled. The oud is smooth and lacks any funk. Dry down is creamy and resinous with small facets of woods and amber--almost identical to Jubilation XXV. Got this for cheap as a 100 mL refill bottle and it spilled over my hands as I was decanting it into a sprayer--can't stop sniffing my hands.

A complex dusty/earthy/boozy wood fragrance. The oud is subtle in here and the cypriol note dominates it for sure. It reminds me of another original oud, that is: Tauer L'Oudh (even if not really similar). I can also spot some similarities with L'Artisan Al Oudh and Timbuktu, as underlined by previous reviewers. May go for a full bottle once my decant is over. A very particular fragrance, that may not please most. Try before you buy! Spring/Fall evenings and Winter days, 30+

Artemisia is the star of this lovely juice. Very stylish scent, the kind you want to be dressed up to wear. A slightly bitter note balances well with the sweetness of the base. Not much oud imo, still very nice. Unusual and intelligently put together by my favorite nose, mr. Duchaufour. Comes in a very attractive bottle and is worth every penny! 9/10

What do I love about Oud Shamash? It transports me back to elementary school and the smell of wet ball point pen ink, where you've furiously scratched enough of it out on paper until the ink is shimmering... almost pooling. You bring it up to your nose and breathe deeply. That smell. This is that childhood memory made adult and sensual.

Very good fragrance. I wore this yesterday. I put it on in the morning and couldn't stop wanting to smell my arm through out the day. Nice smooth woody oud. It has a little bit of a sweet or gourmand going on but not over powering sweet yet masculine. Very well done but watch out, can be addictive.

This perfume is really good. The main accords are Warm Spicy and Woody with some Balsamic and Oud scent mixed with Amber. I cab smell a blend of Oud and Rum mixed with Tolu Balsam and Amber. This perfume is suitable to wear in Winter and Fall. Both projection and Longevity are awesome.

Lovely perfume and very underrated. The structure of the fragrance is similar to Timbuktu/Jubilation XXV, albeit with different notes, different enough to justify owning it as well and for a much lower price (when found on a discounter).

È un profumo molto deciso con le note di oud ma anche dolce e sensibile. It is a very strong scent with notes of oud, but also sweet and sensitive.

Sandalwood and mild Oud , Not a fragrance that will bring lots of compliments ; I never got any lol, Lasting power 6hrs . Sillage 5/10 Thanks,

High quality Oud (from Laos) in the center of a dance of high complexity and beauty notes. Splendid ! worth at least a try. 4/5 stars

I see a lot of reviews comparing this to Jubilation XXV and yet no mention of Nawab of Oudh by Ormonde Jayne.... Odd.

Yeah this is good. I prefer this to jubilation xxv. Wow.

I wanted to sample this one since many have praised it as a worthy oud scent. I think it is fine, but it does not rise to the heights of the heavyweight Ouds that are plentiful these days. I has a nice mix of other notes and maybe after I try this one repeatedly over the next week I might change my mind about it. As of now, this is a safe scent, not the challenging kind of Our that some prefer (I am in this category). It can be worn any season, and is unisex but masculine leaning. Silage is average but it lasts fairly long on my skin. For those who want a gentle and finely blended introduction to Oud this would be well worth sampling. To me, this one doesn't resemble Jubilation XXV, or Timbuktu, or Tauer. Bertrand Duchaufour is one of my favorite perfumers and this certainly has his fingerprints on it. I wish that one of what I consider his finest set of achievements, Á ces soir, and À Chaque Instant, would get more attention. For now, I am happy with Oud Shamash but it isn't a love.

I personally don't get the comparison to Timbuktu. To me, this is closer to Ormonde Jayne Man than Timbuktu. From the sample I used up, what I get is an airy, whispy oud, cedar, sandalwood combination. Something resembling incense in the background...with some slight spiciness like cinnamon or nutmeg...I don't get a strong rose in this. But what makes this remind me of Ormonde Jayne Man is that there is an aroma of pine/forest air infused in relatively small doses but gives this scent an airy quality that is unexpected given the listed notes. I do think this is an incredibly well blended fragrance...there is a peaceful or tranquil quality to this scent and I find it very wearable for many situations in the Fall, Winter and Spring months.

The top of this fragrance pulls off a woody spicey feel that reminds me of potpourri, similar to al oudh. What this turns into though is a very gentle sandalwood and rose fragrance. Personally I think a better name for this fragrance is sandalwood shamash. The oud is barely detectable. This is still a very nice fragrance though, just not an oud one. If you're looking for an oud fragrance, I would skip this one. If you're looking for a soft gentle sandalwood rose fragrance this could be right up your alley. The rose is very tame so I feel this stays pretty unisex. I prefer oud for love and as far as for the comparison with al oudh, I'm sticking with my Al Oudh :-)