SMF

A couple of years ago I had the chance to try some Dior Oud Ispahan. It is the kind of thing that jaded noses appreciate (after all, I am finally understanding Luca Turin's praise of Timbuktu). The Dior can only be had by going in person to The Bay in Toronto - or was, given that HBC has been bought and the store is being renovated beyond recognition. I do have some L'Artisan Parfumeur Al Oud on the way. Any comments or other advice on this scent?

Chris

I wish you luck and I look forward to your field report. The stuff sounds intriguing.

Chris

I recently read "The Emperor of Scent" and I found the description of oud very intriguing, despite having thought that my sample of Black Oud smelled like an antiseptic. Does oud suggest an antiseptic to you, or was that the scent/my nose?

Sounds like an episode of Dr Who.

I have enjoyed Oud colognes. The Royal Oud by Creed is spicy and is nice enough. More straight jacketed. Montale's Black Oud was roses and oud. Some can have a medicinal, band-aid association. Some have it as a supporting note. Rose Anonyme by Atelier Cologne is a good example of that

A very quick arrival. Al Oudh is a very rich concentrated rose, no doubt made by distilling all the Turkish delight of the world into a few drops, and capable of making Hammam Bouquet look like a 95lb weakling. It's mixed with incense and the kind of animalistic musk base that can only come from giant beavers from the age of megafauna. Basenotes has a couple of things wrong - it does not smell of "ball sweat" nor does it smell like recent sexual activity! It is very characteristic of the middle east. It would suit a rich, fat merchant from the Arabian Nights. I'm not sure I would fit that bill, but I rather like it.

C.

That description sounds like I read about Chanel # 5 in Luca Turin's book.

I'm also quite a big fan of Oud perfumes - I've even tried to convince a couple of artisans to come up with an oud-based shaving soap... No luck so far!
My current favorites are YSL's M7 (the original one) and Nasomatto's Duro.

Most of the frags that have oud in the name (such as Montale Black Oud and most other by the big houses) are completely different from the pure oud oils - many of the best of which are from Borneo. I would highly recommend trying some pure oud - it is an amazing experience. Unfortunately the pure oil is expensive, 3 grams of pure oil can easily run $3-400. It will last a while but is still an expensive game. Ensar sells some top quality items: http://ensaroud.com/en/category/aged-wild-oud/4

Wild agarwood offers the sublimest incense experience. Burning raw oud chips elevates the soul and calms the heart like no kneaded incense can. Harvested from the final frontiers of wild agarwood, these chips are soon to be a thing of the past. Invest in quality oud wood while it is still available and reap the rewards when aloeswood is no more.

Thanks for the link. I was wondering why they don't just plant more trees if they're afraid the current wood is going to become "a thing of the past". Really ? Seems like it would be obvious. (Kind of like badgers. Get some females and some males and let 'em do their thing.) Maybe folks make more money if they can convince buyers with extra money the stuff they're selling is about to become difficult to obtain.

If Oud is your thing and don't mind the cost, I suggest Tom Ford Tabacco Oud.

IMO, (and the continual compliments from others), this TF fragrance is fantastic.

Doggonit, I couldn't resist temptation so I went on ebay and got a 5 ml sample of Al Oudh. Cost 15 bucks so not too bad just to see.

brothers wrote:

Wild agarwood offers the sublimest incense experience. Burning raw oud chips elevates the soul and calms the heart like no kneaded incense can. Harvested from the final frontiers of wild agarwood, these chips are soon to be a thing of the past. Invest in quality oud wood while it is still available and reap the rewards when aloeswood is no more.

Thanks for the link. I was wondering why they don't just plant more trees if they're afraid the current wood is going to become "a thing of the past". Really ? Seems like it would be obvious. (Kind of like badgers. Get some females and some males and let 'em do their thing.) Maybe folks make more money if they can convince buyers with extra money the stuff they're selling is about to become difficult to obtain.

I'm no expert on oud but my understanding is that the best juice comes from very old agarwood trees (maybe 100 YO) and requires that the tree has infected with a type of mold that makes the wood darken and release fragrant oils that give oud its complexity. In short, like good sandalwood, the stock of suitable mature trees is rapidly diminishing and cannot be replaced in any real sense - oud is probably not a high priority in managing forests in Borneo and Indonesia. The oud equivalent of "Finest" and "High Mountain White" badger grades are for all practical purposes rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

Thanks Rick. That makes sense.