Attar
by Montale

My first experience with the house of Montale. I am very impressed. Stunning stuff. Elegant, long lasting, delicate and the smell is an oasis for my nose. Rose, saffron, creamy, soft, luscious. I need to get to more from this house. This is a must buy so far!

7th September, 2011.

16 reviews and almost no mention of saffron?

Attar is prominently saffron. The same one as Montale's confidential collection 'Indian Safran.' Here, it is blended with a minimal amount of roses, ultra-diluted Cambodhi oudh, and an ephemeral sandalwood down there at the bottom.

Don't believe me? Sample Indian Safran!

14th April, 2010.

To my very humble nose, Montale's Black Aoud, Royal Aoud, and Attar are all fairly straightforward oudh-rose compositions, each of which goes in its own particular direction. Attar is a far tamer scent than the barbaric Black Aoud, but more individual than the civilized Royal Aoud. If Black Aoud is the bully of the lot and Royal Aoud the dignified uncle, then Attar is the dandy.

Attar goes on immediately sweeter than the other Montale Aouds I've tried, save the cloying Aoud Ambre. The notes read sandalwood and rose, but it's the rose that grabs me first. This is a sweet, mellow rose, far removed from Black Aoud's spicy, aggressive blossom. Tea rose if you will, as opposed to damask rose. Maybe it's the double distillation. At any rate, this rose note intensifies over the first hour or two, until it fully dominates the fragrance.

As for the Mysore sandalwood? I don't get it. Nil. Nada. At least not until well into the drydown, where the rose begins to recede. Midway through, Attar reveals a mysterious note which I can only describe as "fleshy." Juxtaposed with the oudh, this builds an accord that is somewhat reminiscent of a bandaged wound. Not a nasty wound - more like a surgical wound, with stitches and some disinfectant. Further on, things sweeten up a bit, until we reach the soft and rounded woody drydown. On me, this scent lingers less than the other Montale Aoud's - a "meager" 6 to 8 hours. Also a distinctly unisex fragrance, I believe.

11th December, 2009.

Attar opens with none of the bitterness of Royal, Lime, Steam or Black Aoud, it also arrives much quicker at its main act. It straddles the boundary of a daywear and an eveningwear fragrance. In weight it lies midway between Steam Aoud and Black Aoud, having all of Steam Aoud’s versatility and some of Black Aoud's sensuality. The Sandalwood and rose are so perfectly balanced that it’s not possible for me to tell which is the dominant element overall, one minute it’s the rose the next the sandalwood.

Attar is a very linear fragrance with an ability to get straight to business after application. I get a decent amount of noticeable presence for 6-7 hours on my skin. Soft and sweet, but never too rich, Attar is probably the Montale I would apply the most. Given the opportunity I’d still jump quicker to put on Black or Lime Aoud.

17th September, 2009.

Creamy, slightly medicinal rose over a subtle sandalwood note, supported by clean musk. The whole thing is airy yet heavy, a little sweet, a little bitter and very sensual. I don't detect any aoud in this, although there could be a tiny drop of it in there. In my opinion, this is the ying to Black Aoud's yang, although I wouldn't say they smell very similar at all.

Although Black Aoud is another beast entirely, I much prefer this to Black Aoud (my second favorite Montale), as it's easier to wear. Attar also gets extra points for not tainting any clothing it touches with hints of rose for weeks on end like Black Aoud.

Overall, a mysterious and sensual rose with a strong middle eastern vibe. While Attar might be harder to pull of here in the west, I can see myself swooning if someone walked by me wearing this.

8.75/10

17th August, 2009.

Very wain sandalwood and roses. Weak yet ethereal. This is one oud I could enjoy but I don't think there's any oud in it at all. OK overall.

17th May, 2009.