Aoud Lime
by Montale

Aoud Lime opens with a sharp and bitter blast, though I can’t promise it’s lime that I get. Half an hour in and I get the beginning of soft, but ever so slightly bitter floral notes. These florals clean up into very gentle, fresh and clear rose over the period of the following hour. Like with Attar there is Sandalwood but it’s much more in the background. As a male I feel that rose fragrances need something like fragrant wood to suit my gender, in Lime Aoud (and Attar) the sandalwood provides a more smooth finish. Great longevity and a great daywear fragrance, Aoud Lime only needs a better name.

With so many excellent oud Montales, that are slight variations on a theme, it’s quite hard to pick out which to plumb for in the shop. Maybe what’s needed is an Aoud collection containing a wide range of 10ml mini’s. For me I’d have to pick Attar, Black Aoud and Lime Aoud.

Aoud Lime is a twist on the traditional gentleman's cologne with the addition of a very pronounced oud note. I initially turned it down. Back then, little did I know, that it would eventually end up in my wishlist. Definitely one of Montale's better scents in the oud line.

Yep, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!

For those who are looking for a potent Montale oud that places less emphasis on the floral notes, this is the one to get. Personally, I get more oud than lime or citrus but that suits me fine. I find it less cluttered and fresher than most of the other Montale ouds, making this one a great candidate for hot weather (although I’m sure it’s great to wear during cooler months too).

This is definitely bottle-worthy and is now among my top three favourite Montale ouds.

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[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

Ok, this is absolutely not like what I was expecting. It's proper name should be "Aoud Patchouli Rose." After it settles in around 20 minutes, all you get is metallic rose note (as PigeonMurderer likes to call it: "soul of lime"), that eventually develops into a monotonic rose note which reminds me of Rose Otto essential oil that I have. This rose note is not feminine but very wearable for both sexes. This rose note dominates the fragrance. In drydown all I get is spicy woody patchouli. If you like monotonic rose on steroid and nothing else then this your solution.

Alright, this one is just plain weird. (Don't get me wrong, I often like weird.) Aoud Lime is not of the relatively forthright oud-rose family that includes Attar, Royal Aoud, and Black Aoud, nor is it much like the sticky-sweet concoction Aoud Ambre.

Lime is not a listed note, but the top notes are true to the name: dark oud crashing over a bright, acidic citrus note. Immediately offputting for me, with the two notes scratching olfactory nails across a blackboard.

To be fair, I wait to see how this discord will resolve itself - troubling as it is, there is potential for something very interesting to emerge.

It doesn't. Rose begins to well up, but does nothing whatsoever to reconcile the clashing accord set up in the opening. By the time the patchouli shows itself, I've come to find the whole thing tiresome, like the schlemiel who follows you around a party spouting irritating drivel, or a yappy dog. At no point do the disparate elements in this scent never manage to come together. In fact, they don't even seem to interact in any meaningful way.

As I said, weird - but not gratifying.

No, this is much over the top. Lime and oud are so far away from each other that it is probably not possible to bring them together. And this combination of sour and bitter lime with oud is really nauseating. Turns more bearable when the lime gets weaker during the drydown, but still very harsh and unpleasant.

For me, this is the worst of Montale's ouds together with Red Aoud. Strange to find adorable scents like Steam Aoud or BA next to this horrible stuff in the same line!