Reviews of Royal Aoud
by Montale

Sometimes I think Montale can put Aoud in anything and VOILA! it will work magic. Aoud *seems* to be able to make anything it surrounds exciting. That probably is not accurate, but I seem to find all of these Montale Aouds to be intoxicating.

Now Royal Aoud was the fourth or fifth Montale Aoud that I have tried. The above observation is not really a reflection on this scent in particular, but rather a cumulative observation. This one is smoother than some, fruity, with rose and spices too. I find it delightful and intoxicating, but not as intense as others. Probably not my favorite in the line and one that I will pass on for now, but excellent nevertheless.

Added comment 14 Feb 10: I did end up developing a deeper appreciation of Royal Aoud and eventually acquired a bottle. I find the drydown to be extremely satisfying. There is a medicinal character to the topnotes (not uncommon with Montale Aouds), which is not my favorite part, but not severe and certainly worth the wait. A very sensual fragrance!

Of the Montale oudh scents I've tried so far (Aoud Ambre, Attar, Royal Aoud, Black Aoud, Aoud Lime, and Steam Aoud) Royal Aoud is the only one that starts out with anything resembling understatement. In fact, it makes the others seem downright histrionic in their entrances. It also strikes me as both the most complex and the least direct of the lot.

This scent has a powdery-sweet foundation that tempers the medicinal and astringent aspects of the oud. The listed fruit and citrus notes are very coy at first, but surface more completely during the development, where they serve to round out the heady note of rose. Eventually, a vanilla/tonka bean note slides in to add a bit of extra sweetness.

The oudh and the rose retreat during the drydown, leaving a pleasant, but not all that distinguished powdery-woody accord. On my skin, Royal Aoud does not have the stupendous (24 hr) tenacity of Black Aoud, but its development is not so glacially slow, either. (Black Aoud's drydown is so slow and extended that I didn't even realize it was happening the first few times I wore the stuff.)

Among the Montale's I see Royal Aoud, Black Aoud, and Attar as quite closely related, though differing in general character. Black Aoud, which is my current favorite, is bold, brash, maybe even brutal, in its directness and simplicity. (Imagine that! A "brutal" rose. Now there's a good name for a scent.)

Attar seems the sweetest of the three, with some mysterious accords and a drydown that goes in its own direction. I find Royal Aoud the easiest to wear of the three, as well as the "prettiest". Funny though: it's relative sophistication blunts it in comparison with its siblings, leaving it the most conventional of the three, and because of that, the least distinguished. I prefer the olfactory challenge of Black Aoud.

One of the more subtle releases from Montale’s aoud line. As previous reviewers have stated, after applying to the skin, it takes a while for it to kick into action. Royal Aoud is a more understated and gentlemanly scent, as opposed to Black Aoud’s full-on offensive. It’s nice but too apologetic for me. Average sillage and longevity.

[Original submission date: 14 April 2008]

Aoud Lime without the citrusy blast at the start, and a slightly different wind down. Like other Montales Aouds I’ve tried (excepting Attar) it takes half on hour for Royal Aoud to settle. Once it does it too is magical, rose that’s wearable on a male. Not my favourite Montale but certainly not far off. The only thing bringing it down for me is the sweet vanilla wind down, but really I’m just nitpicking, Royal Aoud is superb.

I have in front of me 9 Montale samples. I chose to wear Royal Aoud for a night out with friends. I have just come back. I have spent the whole night feeling ROYAL. this is Royal Aoud. I know what aoud smells like. But this aoud is the crown jewel. Etherial yet woody, sensual yet dry, lingering yet not cloying. If you want to know what aoud smells like probably this is the one. If you want to know what Montale is capable of definately this is the one.

if one has to be introduced to oudhs, i think this would be the safest way to do so. Royal Oudh is well, Royal. a very familiar smell (kumquat), sweetened by grapefruit, its sweet to an extent, but its stops way before one would call it fruity or gourmand. i really loved the opening notes of this one. makes one feel like one of those rich sheik arabs. the oudh in it is massaged in the background with slightly sweet fruity notes along with rich spices...the oudh is very much put in background and acts as a rock solid base for other top and midnotes...the whole balance of this frag amazes me..to see how the intensity of the oudh is controlled from top to midnotes is to be witnessed...its only in the base tht the oudh and some kinda chilli notes rule the roost..giving us a totally different frag that it was in start.....overall, worth sampling.

I’m new to the world of oud so I’m exploring my reactions to this new sensation. This is intriguing. It has a haunting, elusive quality that appeals to me. It is piercingly ‘clean’ but not synthetic or ‘fresh’ in the current style. It is bright and yet dark at the same time. Bug spray... band-aids... rubber... medicinal... I sort of agree and yet I find this appealing. It is not an industrial nouveau, edgy sort of scent. It is in the old Arabian tradition of rare perfume, a world of scents perhaps unfamiliar to modern sensibilities. Many have said that this is not a big powerhouse scent, and I agree. Applied lightly, this has restraint, artistry, a quiet sort of power. I find it to be coolish rather than warm. It is not woody (except for a sharp sandalwood sort of tone), not very spicy, not very leathery. I agree with Vibert’s profile, particularly the powdery-sweet and vanilla aspect. And the fact that I like this amazes me, normally I detest such elements! At times there is the hint of something like chocolate liqueur or creme brulée. Certainly there are ambery notes. I can only account for my approval in the sheer artistry and subtle panache of this. The drydown is a very subtle, second-skin scent.

This is a very fine fragrance and my favourite of the montale aouds. It has great presence but doesn't shout like some of the others, more like a strong and persistent whisper than the aria of black oud (which I also like).

You have to be careful applying this as it takes time to come alive. It reaches full projection about 30 minutes after application and then stays bright for another one to two hours with the powerful oud and the subtle offset of the kumkwat and other citrus before it morphs again.

Then something strange and magical occurs. From the sillage, a beautiful but subtle (compared to black oud) rose note emerges. Smelling close up, this seems to vanish into oud for me, but it is there from a distance. I am not sure how this is achieved, but it is beautiful and impressive.

One of my all time favourites.

This is one of the aouds that started out smelling great on me. I cannot sense a single fruity note in this scent, although I am sure it is there. However, the only problem I have with this, the fragrance seems to smell worse as I wear it. It is one that is terrible with my body chemistry. I actually quite enjoyed the smell when I first applied it, but it progressively got worse as time when by. While Aoud was the most notable scent, it eventually turned into something that did not smell good.

Kumquat? Grapefruit? I don’t get citrus! I get aoud. Aoud in abundance. As usual with an aoud fragrance, my first sniff of Royal Aoud gave me that electrical fire note that was my first experience with Aoud Pur Oriental. This time it didn’t bother me at all because I knew it would take several wearings before my nose and brain would adapt to my lack of familiarity with the aoud note. To my nose, aoud (as with most strong woods used in scents) completely dominates and submerges the citrus elements (or many other elements, for that matter). As far as I am concerned, this is an almost pure aoud scent—I’m not complaining, I love it this way, because aoud has become an addictive note for me: I’m long past the stage where I think of it as electrical fire—or insect repellant. As with several other aoud fragrances from Montale that I have tried, a rose note comes to the fore as the potency of the wood wanes. It’s an excellent rose note, and it’s like the calm AFTER the storm—it’s a rose I can love. Royal Aoud is different from some of the other aouds in that it seems to morph into a skin scent extra early in its progression.

High-end insect repellant(L'Off Deep Woods). I wonder if there’s any Deet in there? It's not really that bad but I guess I'm just not an oud fan. It does have good silliage and longevity.

Not bad. The oud is simply irresistible note; I love that warm, sticky medicinal aroma. It`s intoxicating and somehow, spiritual. Very mysterious.

On me, Royal Aoud is very pure on oud - can`t see very much more going on after it settles down after application.
Some charachter it still certainly has : I think this is the most leatheriest oud blend in series. Indeed, sometime during the drydown I thought very much of nicely kept rugged leather, perhaps polished horse saddle or something that kind. Later on, these leather associations disappear, and it turns more woody.

I has come as a big suprise to me that my biggest favourite in the series is Aoud Lime. Didn`t expect that to happen, really. (but I do like that one alot, it`s one of my biggest favourites among "fresh" scents)

Thumbs up here, but to be honest, I really don`t think any Aoud is worth for the 118 euros a bottle. For that price, I can get something even much more captivating and overall better.

I'm not sure how to review this one! It's kind of an oddity in my mind because it mixes some notes that I am having a hard time understanding together. It's got a fruity quality, which is listed as kumquat. (I've never eaten a kumquat, so I can't comment directly on how much it actually smells like one.) Mixed with that fresh fruitiness, almost in equal parts, is the oud. At times the medicinal quality of the oud contradicts the sweetness of the fruit, and at other times the two seem to complement each other nicely, with the oud providing some warmth, depth, and body. Each time I put it on, I am not so sure I like it, then the longer it is on, the more I start to like it. I had my gf smell it multiple times, and each time she liked it very much. I am still trying to decide what I think about it, but do think it's worth a sample, since it is pretty interesting.