Alamut (2006)
by Lorenzo Villoresi

I don’t get the usual explosion of olfactory dissonance that I get in many others of Villoresi’s fragrances. Alamut comes on quite normally to my nose. The opening is made to order for me because it is well done and contains many of my favorite notes: osmanthus, jasmine, and rosewood. It is not exciting, but it is rich and comforting. The middle is well done, too. Flowers (again, those I enjoy the most) and amber… these heart notes are also not exciting but offer another rich, long-lasting accord. Same story with the base, which has many of the traditional base notes… rich, but in no way exciting. This time there are a couple of notes I could do without: leather and powder, but their presence is not so much that I find them bothersome.

I would call this a comfort fragrance. It is traditional (or maybe even retro); it moves through the pyramid with finesse; it has moderate sillage and good longevity. It even has a refined touch of animalism with its indoles, musk, and leather. I like Alamut, but… it’s one of many among niches and designers, and there are several other Villoresi fragrances that I prefer. Nice one, though.

EDP review:

I’m very disappointed with this one, not because it smells bad (and I can’t really detect the rubbery accord that others have mentioned) but because it’s so soft and faint. Alamut is a powdery floral-woody affair, which comes across (based on its performance) as a musk-dominant scent. It’s also very well blended, as detecting the individual notes is not that easy – so don’t be fooled by the simplistic nature of the way it smells.

To me, there’s nothing particularly awful about it – I just found it very nondescript and lacking in presence. As a result, I’m giving this a neutral.

Amazing, no doubt about that, but it left me pondering, 'is this a personal fragrance, a home fragrance, or maybe it's some kind of an odd friendly bug repellent?'

Amazing, but neutral rating 'cause it makes me feel weird when I wear it in public places. I get a lot of, 'mmm - you use some kind of insence sticks, right?'

A very flowery yet smokey opening, heavy on the rose, which bottoms out with some pretty nice spices and musk. Don't really get any wood notes to speak of. It sounds pretty unisex, but I think the feminine classification is correct. From a House whose fragrances I find pretty hard to warm to (or even understand sometimes), Alamut is nice, but not for me.

Very generic, very powdery fruity-floral scent with smooth woody accents. Smells alot like the insides of your mommy`s make-up bag. Way too "exotic" to be worn by any man, but the truth is, I wouln`t want to smell this on any woman either. Whiffs from the sillage are still quite okay, I guess, but to me smelling this too close has everything but pleasant influence.

Awful.

Nobody ever accused Lorenzo Villoresi of being too simple. This is another big combination of surprising notes but, unlike Sandalo which smells complex, Alamut doesn't smell much like any of the notes listed. At first I thought I smelled myrrh, but later doubted my suspicion. On the whole, it comes across as a very sweet, spicy and powdery amber to me. The big, sweet opening is rather hard for me to sit through, but I love the woody, resiny base that follows and lasts for hours.