Aoud Ambre
by Montale

This is another scent that, on paper, smells just as it is supposed to. In the opening, I get a strong amber / moderate aoud accord with a definite honey element and an identifiable rose staying in the background. After a few minutes, I’ve lost the rose but I think I am able to identify a tobacco element in the accord, too; but I’m not absolutely sure. The honey is so striking in mixing with the other notes that it gives the feel of being almost brandy-like. I really enjoy the opening accord—it is playful, animalic, quasi-mysterious, and smooth—incredibly smooth. Even the honey note’s natural sharpness has been tamed to a simmering liquor sweetness, I get no sharpness or poignancy, but rather, that quietly seething honeynote and an undertone of silky animalism. The aoud is there in the background if I look for it, but I am not looking for it. The middle accords enjoy an interplay among the tobacco, the aoud, and the amber—it is a pleasant exercise, and it has enough rose and resinousness to it that the play doesn’t get flighty or meaningless—the fragrance is kept on task. The top and the middle move too quickly. They are delightful and they really should hang around longer than they do because they are replaced by mediocrity. The drydown is probably the dullest I’ve experienced in the Montale line. I don’t get any amber—which is strange—l get an emaciated shadow of an aoud note lost in an bland enormity of what I would guess is a very mediocre patchouli: It is such a flat, muddled accord that it is difficult to identify the notes.
That was what happened on paper... On my skin it’s not anywhere near the same scent. I immediately get a strident aoud note that smashes all the other notes to oblivion. It is very short lived for an aoud, but when it loses it’s forcefulness, there’s a muddled tobacco / aoud / amber skin type scent that spends its last hour inelegantly dying.

Originally submitted July 2009

10th December, 2010.

I love the opening salvo, with super-sweet amber notes perfectly offset by the pleasantly medicinal oudh. Then, after ten minutes, the amber grabs the wheel and careens off on a sugar fueled joyride, tossing the oudh out the window just before slamming into the guardrail. The most disappointing development I can remember.

I have tried this many a time, hoping that the middle and end chapters will live up to the first sentence, but so far it's been a boring read. Moderate sillage and an extended, if not stimulating, lifespan.

13rd December, 2009.

One of very few Montale Aoud scents that I clearly dislike. I actually think Aoud Ambre is pretty awful.

I get extremely small dash of oud here. To me it smells a lot more like a nostril burningly sharp blend of aldehydes, patchouly and carelessly done and selected amber. Maybe there`s some labdanum too.

I love Montale, but once again I really don`t undertand the contradiction between the official notes and the actual smell.

Oh well....

In one thing with Montale I agree here, though : This is purely a fragrance for women. Probably mainly due the flood of aldehydes, I find this utterly feminine. (but to make it clear, I wouldn`t want to smell this on a woman either)

Aoud Ambre is no good.

13rd November, 2008.

A smooth, warm ambery aoud scent comes right off the top and already contains, in germ, all the notes that follow; but they reveal themselves more and more as the drydown progresses, and shine softly with a mellow light. This has quite a good sillage, and on my skin at least, excellent longevity. Some people say this a scent for intimate moments, and I can see why they think so. It does have a somewhat seductive effect on people who have smelled it on me, although I can't say I was in the market when that occurred. Pity!

Notes: Eastern Aoud, Amber, Rose, Honey, Spices, Woods, Cistus Labdanum, Leather, Incense

24th August, 2008. (Last Edited: 25th November, 2009.)

Opens with a blast of sweet, medicinal notes of oudh, the oudh used here is kinda new to me of what i have tried so far from the montale line. i also detect bit of incense in this one...and by far this one has to be the Woodiest Montale that i have tried. it maybe the true form of Amber which is painting this Image of smelling the open part of a freshly chopped tree. half an hour into this and it turns in to a slightly sweet and smoky then progressing in a freshly made Amber notes reminding one of the amber base in Amber Sultan. the only difference is the presense of oudh, which doesnt really try to the the stage. is humble enuff to take the supporting role and walk away with the best supporting actor in this film. for anyone who is looking for a Amber based scent with more than one twist, look no further. as obvious, this one is not out there to impress anyone, it's a very pleasant amber based scent that could be easily worn by either sex. the base is pretty light compared to Montale standards. very comforting and cozy for Winters. i think it;ll shine in winters sitting by the Bonfire. for one of those days when you dotn want the Oudh to overwhelm but at the same time, be there for you. very close to a Thumbs up..

8th August, 2008.

This is a very old oud combined with magnificent amber for a duo with vitality thanks to the Cystus ladaniferus from the Indies and to 50 other ingredients.

Amber is fossilized tree resin and was formed thousands if not millions of years ago. Being related to incense, it has a warm, golden incense or pine smell. For me, Oud Ambre has little to do with amber. Oh, I am sure it’s in there…somewhere, but to me this is all about sex. Yes, you read that correctly. This reminds me of Serge Lutens infamous house note (Muscs Koublaï Khän and Cuir Mauresque in particular) and also Paco Rabanne’s La Nuit.

The liquid is a gorgeous, thick golden brown color. It opens with a slightly odd woody accord (not the medicinal oud smell I was looking for) with all other notes subdued in a strangely quiet mix of notes. None of the notes really stand out at first. Because of the high oil content of all Montales, the back of my hand is very shiny. As the scent heats up, the beauty of this scent starts to radiate. It is a beautiful, sexy leather scent.

I am instantly transported back to traveling cross-country and having to stop at a truck stop bathroom. I smell sweet urinal cake which is frequently used in men’s bathrooms to cover up the urine smell. The same thing is happening here in this fragrance. There is a dirty civet note that is hiding under the more dominant notes. Oh, but there is more! There is an odor in here that reminds me of mingling body fluids. I don’t find Oud Amber as raunchy as MKK or Cuir Mauresque or as hard to wear as La Nuit. This is a slightly cleaner version. I am thinking that the oud adds an interesting twist to this creation. That is why I can say with all confidence that this smells like hot sex…on the floor of a truck stop bathroom. When I smell this, I have visions of tangled legs and shiny sweat and crumpled paper towels strewn about the white tile floor. MKK is almost impossible for me to wear and La Nuit has a few notes that really turn me off but Oud Ambre is just lovely. As it dries down, there is a slightly powdery quality that makes this seem so much softer than most leather scents. Sillage is excellent (I am wearing barely a drop) and longevity comes in at around 8 hours. This should be worn only when you have one thing on your mind (and it’s not church). This is fornication in a can.

17th October, 2006.