Amouage Gold Men (1983)
by Amouage

Is this for men? I guess it is not, even it reads so on the label. At first impression, it clearly smells like some classic perfume for women from the 1950's or even later.

Top notes made me recall two fragrances - at first, Chanel Nº 5; Later, YSL's Opium (the original, for women). The presence of very strong flowery and aldehydic top notes and clear powdery base notes made me think of them (I must assume I liked the powdery dry down).

Thus, Amouage Gold inspires a sarcastic comment, in terms that it would be the right choice for men eager to wear more than exclusive classic floral femenine scents but are afraid to do so.

Of course, taking in mind Amouage's prices, this proves an expensive option. So if your are among the last group of people, getting these fears away will prove a good choice in terms of savings. And in case you are being asked about what fragrance you are wearing, you will only have to mention Amouage Gold.

MonkeyManMatt was being far too kind. This is Nicheiosity to the max. Should have been in an old Ab/Fab episode:

Edina: " Do you like it? "
Patsy: " Er . . .Who made it? "
Edina: " Amouage "
Patsy: " It's fabulous, darling. "

Yuck!

Well this one completely leaves subtlety out of the dictionary.

It's like having a flower shop drop on your head with a particularly bellicose civet doing it's business with it's glands all over you and then dousing you in musk.

It is one of the most potent fragrances I have ever encountered, a couple of generous sprayings of this could be used as a counter terrorism measure. It's not entirely unpleasant, but the drydown reminds me of a cheap musk I bought recently because it blended well with some other things.

Is it worth the money? I don't honestly think it is. It's okay, but is a long way short of being beautiful, engaging or in the least bit attractive.

Here it is: the most extreme turnaround in my opinion of any fragrance, ever. I begin with my original assessment:

“Egads! Honeyed cat pee. It must be arduous to extract and distil the urine of all those diabetic cats, which would explain the astronomical price. This is alleged to contain hundreds of ingredients, but to my nose it's civet, buckets of musty powder and aldehydes...and a little more powder. Civet + powder + aldehydic white flowers = The Cat Peed in Grandma's Closet. Bombastic and unbalanced for a full eight hours. Shocking as the flagship of the line that contains the marvelous Dia and Jubilation XXV. Oddly enough, the women's version is quite good on my wife. Go figure.”

What’s happened since? I’ve been sampling Gold on and off for years - have my tastes evolved so far? I suspect a reformulation is responsible, and for once, a reformulation for the better! Gold is still enormous, unsubtle, and intensely animalic, but it now strikes me as more nuanced and better balanced. The aldehydes and powder seem to have been toned way down, and the frankincense brought further to the fore. Where the “old” Gold was a musty, dusty, floral, the one I wear now is a rich incense fragrance with a bold floral overlay. Is it easy to wear? No. Does is it smell great? Yes. Once again, go figure…

I really didn't like Amouage Gold Men at all. On one arm I had sprayed Amouage Gold. On the other was Amouage Dia. I gave most of my time to Gold, as I knew Dia was a winner from the first few sprays.

Amouage Gold smells 1) sticky 2) unsanitary and 3) old-fashioned. The "stickiness" comes from the floral honey notes, which I can't stand in fragrances.

The unsanitary element comes from civet, I understand, which is the musk extracted from glands of the civet (African mammals that look like a raccoon mixed with a ferret). Mix it with a bit of ambergris, and there you have it.

The old-fashioned comes from everything else thrown in here and the way they're executed. It's sweet and pungent.. and I don't think I could ever bring myself to find any appreciation for Amouage Gold.

The sillage and longevity were solid. There probably aren't any "middle of the road" folks on this scent. Love it or hate it. Shame that this is the Amouage signature fragrance. Amouage, and Arabian perfumery in general, have so much more to offer. Don't let this fragrance keep you from exploring the other Amouage offerings.

I just opened my Amouage Gold. I sprayed one spray of the vaporizer indirectly on my wrist - not even a concentrated spray - and my reaction as I walked in another room and sat in my easy chair was, and continues to be, WOW. I said to my wife, "Wow!" Incense... a menacing rose that finds its pure, true expression in Lyric... but all I can say is, WOW. It's loud, it's sumptuous, it's a proper sultan's perfume. It is awe-striking... sublime! Gold has spectacular sillage and endurance. A single spray will last all day. You wouldn't wear this for your own benefit; a single spray and you'll be sharing it with your office mates all day. But it is elegant, grand, impressive, as I said, sublime. It's like driving a Rolls Royce. You simply can't drive around in a car like that and not be noticed for the over-the-top grandeur and luxury. This is a Rolls Royce of all fragrances.

If you're a fan of subtle complexities and clever accords, this probably isn't your cup of tea. If you're impressed by, and enjoy, enormous brush strokes, bold colors, loud music... if you know & love Carmina Burana by Carl Orff... and you know your way around fragrances, you will absolutely adore this one. This is the Carmina Burana of fragrances. Take that for what it is. :)

(You may notice that I LOVE this fragrance, and am absolutely, without qualification, impressed by it.)