Ottoman Amber

#1572 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I got a decant of this scent from scentsplit.com for $3.99. Full bottles were going for around $85 from jomashop.com, though I see they are now out of stock. Early on in my tour I was doing EDTs and Guess "1981 Los Angeles" was kind of similar to this, as was Ferrari "Black." Among EDPs I've tried since, Dolce & Gabbana "Velvet Amber" is in this ballpark (If you like a sharp Ylang Ylang. I don't.). Also Bond No 9 "Dubai Garnet" with blackberry and plum, though the rose in that one makes it too feminine for me. Add pineapple and cognac and you have Dumont "Nitro Intense", which for me is very wearable. I'm also a fan of Natura "Eccencial Mirra." If you want to lose the fruitiness altogether there's Serge Lutens "Ambre Sultan", a brute force amber, and Armaf "Niche Oud" which has a nice iris note. The king of the amber mountain for me is Maison Francis Kirkdjian, "Grand Soir", which is a bit rich for many folks wallets, but there are a half dozen inexpensive and passable dupes out there. One of them, Fragrance World "Barrakat Ambre Eve", smells more like this Merchant of Venice scent than it smells like Grand Soir, but it lacks the myrrh note that I like in "Ottoman Amber." I think this Merchant of Venice scent comes closer to taking Grand Soir's amber title than any of the others I mentioned. Granted, the opening was a bit much for me. As one reviewer described it: "syrupy plum." But as it dried and developed I found it enjoyable, as did those who smelled it on me. Some of the scents that had to grow on me are among my favorites specifically because of the positive reaction they got from women. I strongly suggest you get a decant before buying this, try it out around significant others, especially the guys, as it's kind of fruity/feminine in the first half hour. For me this is date wear only, not business wear. You get about four to five hours before it's a 100% skin scent, but do not overspray. It would get cloying, especially for the first hour, if you go heavy. For guys I'd do a light application in the morning and again at lunch if you're going to wear this at work. Women could get away with using more. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Had the chance to try today in Douglas some of the Merchant of Venice fragrances and from the entire collection that was on display, Ottoman Amber, Venetian Blue, Vinegia 21 and Imperial Peacock were the stand outs! Some suitable for fall/winter and the others more for spring and summer. Ottoman Amber is a stunning myrrh centric perfume. Warm, deep, resinous, sweet, balsamic, vanillic, with noticeable plum, rose and patchouli accents as supporting notes. If you’re looking for a warm, amber, resinous scent with a rich, sweet plum, which is one of my favourites fruit in perfumes and IRL, get yourself a bottle of Ottoman Amber, it’s undeniably good... From my experience, I think this scent is 100% unisex and as soon as fall comes I will definitely buy myself a bottle of this beauty... If you are also loving perfumes like Ambre Sultan, Encens Suave, Vanagloria or other Merchant of Venice creation’s Andalusian Soul, I believe Ottoman Amber is a safe blind buy. It’s not an exact dupe of any of these scents but they coexist in the same ambery, warm, balsamic universe! Gorgeous!! At the time of writing this review, Douglas had some Merchant of Venice fragrances for 40% off. Plus a selection of Gritti and Xerjoff, so if you’re interested in these three Italian niche houses, check your local Douglas. Edit 03.08.2025 Added this gorgeous scent to my collection. Smells absolutely delightful!

This majestic and audacious composition opens with the citrus notes of bergamot, which are then sweetened by floral touches of geranium and plum. The original colour of the sandalwood ingredient is suggestively mirrored in the brown tones throughout the pattern on the glass bottle. Masterly merged with patchouli, the same ingredient gives pride and intensity to the fragrance. The passionate combination of vanilla with labdanum reveals the richness of Ottoman Amber, a noble fragrance that takes its inspiration from a far-away and dream-like world. Beautiful.

A classic reference amber of extreme tenacity - powerful, but close quartered. Rich, without mud in the depth. A brief touch of citrus opens this audacious composition, quickly making way for the sweet, floral heart of plum and geranium. A sandalwood accord is suggestively mirrored by the brown tones throughout the patterned glass bottle. Here, sandalwood is masterly merged with the intensity of patchouli, laudanum and vanilla. A noble fragrance that takes its inspiration from a far-away land.

This is tremendous. I quite like Grand Soir and Ambre Sultan. But I love this one. It can be worn year round, I wore it to the Canary islands this year and it did not overpower like the other 2 I named would. This is not a huge projector, but you'll have a very pleasant bubble around you for hours. Niche Oud gives a similar sort of scent, and is great on a budget. But this is the best amber I have ever experienced. Backup bottle bought. I might even get a third.

Very enjoyable fragrance, even if I don't really smell the notes that are given on this site. I mainly get black pepper and very dry, strong patchouli in the opening and middle, wrapped nicely inside balsamic sweetness. As it dries down it gets a bit tamer, smoother, mainly sweet, woody and balsamic. I can see some similarities between this and Patchuli Kozha by Nishane, both are very herbal, dusty and sweet in a very pleasant, even nostalgic way.

Ottoman Amber is the closest fragrance I have to Tom Ford Amber Absolute. It's not exactly the same note for note, but when you smell it, the resemblance is there. It's amber first, supporting notes second. If you are tired of amber fragrances that do have amber...but can only be detected by lab instruments, Ottoman Amber will give you that fix. For $69 on sale, it's such a great value.

Il profumo Ottoman Amber, è una fragranza da uomo è caratterizzata da toni orientali e lussuosi. Il flacone è decorato con colori bruni e ambrati, con un tappo argentato inciso con la rosa dei venti. Le note di apertura comprendono bergamotto, moderato da tocchi fioriti-fruttati di geranio e pesca. Il sandalo e patchouli conferiscono intensità è una una fragranza nobile e mi piace tanto

Borderline sweet, quality vegetal amber theme, hard not to like. The thing with TMoV is that they don't have any unique masterpieces, but almost all of their fragrances I tried are flawlessly executed perfumes staying in the theme. Ottoman Amber is also one of them. And they don't have crazy prices. Expect a more wearable Ambre Sultan

Profumo davvero buono, l’ho preso per farlo provare al mio ragazzo e se n’è subito innamorato. La fragranza è molto calda e accogliente, molto orientale, il profumo è anche molto persistente. Sicuramente lo ricomprerà.

Una fragranza che mi è piaciuta tantissimo, molto intensa ma alo stesso tempo delicata . Il profumo dura davvero tanto durante il giorno, nonostante ne basti poco. Lo riacquisteró sicuramente perché è stupendo

It’s hard not to enjoy this perfume. It lasts a long time and projects very well. It’s pretty strong to be fair. It smells like a sophisticated evening and is well suited for exactly that.

Indeed in the same family as Ambre Sultan. This is very mature and middle eastern. Smells classy, mature, opulent. Definitely leaning masculine on my skin. Good fragrance.

Really classy amber, but not quite as all-round amazing as you might think from this page, imho. I was hoping for something absolutely spectacularly luxurious, so laced with the glories of the whole Ottoman empire that I'd be swept off my feet, but this isn't quite there. Yes it is gorgeously spiced and dry enough not to cloy, it's not chokingly sweet or so huge that it gives you a headache. Delicious and warm without being gourmand - unlike in many cheaper or more feminine amber scents, the vanilla here is kept well under control and is definitely playing third or fourth fiddle, rather than crushing everything else under a ton of cake. Beautifully natural, classically unisex and suitable for any occasion; projection is discreet, but robust in its own zone. So it certainly deserves respect. But for me it has a couple of weaknesses - I don't find it as world-beating on the longevity front as other testers here and I really yearned for slightly more daring and aromatic spice in the mix, to match the subtlety and character of the amber itself. Definitely worth a go if you are fine-tuning your nose to sniff out your perfect amber, but it wouldn't necessarily be my first choice for a buy, or even first choice on an amber-comparison binge. In my opinion (only) it's a little overpriced, though it is perceptibly individual high-class enough to be called niche. For a man it may be ideal; as a female user I think I'd tend to go for something a bit bolder, lusher and rounder, like Ambre Loup maybe. 8/10 on this one, I'd say.

Ottoman Amber opens with a semi-boozy plum note and I even notice a rather pronounced cinnamon note for a few minutes. After around five minutes, the plum and cinnamon notes slowly disappear and leave the center stage to myrrh and labdanum, the oud accord is barely noticeable. To me, myrrh is the star in this rather sweet and smooth amber composition. In my opinion, this is a perfectly unisex fragrance and anyone who is interested in amber fragrances should give Ottoman Amber a try, no matter the marketing message.

Was given a sample of this when purchasing another perfume at their emporium in Venice. Very classy with a rich amber scent that instantly reminded me of L’Eau d’Ambre Extreme from L’artisan Perfumeur. Much as I like this, longevity is short and only lasts on me for a couple of hours. Certainly unisex but as I prefer more powerful scents, I will keep to Ambre Extreme.

I got a 1 ml sample of this. I would say the positives are that the sillage and longevity are good (it lasted at least 8 hours) , as is the bergamot opening and labdanum and vanilla in the dry-down. A con is that on my skin there was a fruity note, which I assume was supposed to be plum, that overpowered the rest of the heart notes.

Ho potuto provare un campioncino di questa fragranza per il mio compagno. Devo dire che è una fragranza molto audace, è davvero forte, molto bella però non rientra nei suoi gusti un po' più delicati. Però chi ama i profumi forti e decisi questo è l'ideale! Forte e persistente.

I got my dad Ottoman Amber by The Merchant of Venice, and it was a solid choice! The scent starts with this zesty kick of bergamot, mixed with some flowery geranium and plum – a combo that sets a really good vibe. The sandalwood in there matches the cool pattern on the bottle, and when it's mixed with patchouli, it gives off this bold and intense feel. It's like a whole fragrant journey in a bottle. As it settles in, you get this sweet mix of vanilla and labdanum that just completes the whole Ottoman Amber experience. My dad loves how the scent lingers without being overpowering, and the bottle itself looks classy on his dresser. Ottoman Amber isn't just a scent; it's like a little adventure – making it a cool and unique gift for anyone into good fragrances.

I’m very indifferent on this one at the moment. It’s not quite what I expected it. Don’t get me wrong, it generally smells pretty nice, I just think the intense spiciness of the labdanum is throwing me off a bit. It’s quite thick and sweet, almost syrupy, likely due to the plum. The amber is obviously super present, I get a good dose of the vanilla and sandalwood as well. The patchouli is there, I would just say it ever so slightly takes the backseat. It’s not listed in the notes, but I think I also pick up on a crushed pepper note of some kind, it’s very embedded into the amber.