Alamut (2006)
by Lorenzo Villoresi

Lush, sophisticated and very feminine powdery-floral with a musky and vanillic soul, a considerable note of rosewood and an animalic-lethery undertone that tames, on the side of the musk, the sweetness of the final talky-creamy atmosphere. The final issue expresses a very floral-orangy wake taking off from a bed of woodsy amber, sandalwood and benzoin-labdanum. The note of patchouli impresses boldness and autority to a juice heavy on rosewood, osmanthus and ylang-ylang. The scent, initially a bit alcoholic, sweet and raw, turns soon in a silky-talky fluid that is a perfect shelter for the suave notes of jasmine and rose. The first hispid-metallic blast is a sort of green-floral bouquet surely glamour but classic and a bit retro with the dreamy delicacy of rose and white flowers and because of the combination of citrus, rose and patchouli. The fruity touch of orange blossom enhances the natural sweetness of this botanic opening. In a few time a sort of ambery boise' viscosity starts to envelop the fruity-floral elements and to lead them towards the animalic-powdery base. The final part combines the animalism of musk, leather and sinthetic human notes with the creaminess of vanilla, benzoin and labdanum. Alamut is a great white-powdery, autoritative, womanly  concoction from the great italian nose Lorenzo Villoresi. The juice is complex and expresses a long process of evolution, you need time to smell the subtle and elaborate   bliss of the final outcome. I find Alamut well balanced and fitted of the right level of natural and resinous sweetness, finally moderated in the dust by the opaque mildness of musk and leather. The wake is a white, bit milky dust of flowers and woodsy elements and is classic, bold and a bit potpourri. A respectful classy scent.

31st July, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd December, 2011.)

I detested this initially when I first encountered it. However, on a cold January day it is more nuanced and alive. As pidgeonmurdered says..mommy's make-up bag. But mommy is a lady in the 50's with a frame purse and white gloves wearing kitten heels. I think the perfume makers chose poorly on the powdery-amber base..it may be a bit too thuggish..and blocking out the song of tiny osmanthus flowers. Delicate? No. It's a 2 X 4 of powder. This would be perfect on the SNOW QUEEN.

1st February, 2011.

I think this is a nicely done, delicate, somewhat powdery feminine floral. I think I would like this on a lady.

31st May, 2010.

Notes: Osmanthus, rose, jasmine, rosewood, narcissus, tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, labdanum, amber, musk, amyris, sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin, leather and powdery notes.

Given his penchant for spices, sweet vanilla base notes, and big, assertive olfactory profiles, it’s no wonder some of Lorenzo Villoresi’s most successful works, including Piper Nigrum, Spezie, and Incensi, have been in the oriental genre. Alamut is another oriental, more recent than the rest. Where its predecessors were all very spicy, Alamut is more of a floral-amber composition. The top notes include a boozy amber and a musty indolic orange blossom, soon bolstered by a very heavy rose and an animalic musk with the character of a civet reconstruction. For the first few minutes of wear it feels both overly potent and crude, but Villoresi’s scents often open clumsily before gaining their footing and their poise.

Alamut does settle down into a less strident floral-oriental arrangement, with patchouli, labdanum, and tropical white flowers alongside the rose, sweet amber, and musk. It’s still a busy composition, at once very heavy and opaque. At the same time, it suffers from a certain plainness, as if all of those ingredients have jostled one another into a nondescript oriental blur. This lack of clarity suggests to me that Alamut would have benefited from editing.

The drydown features Villoresi’s signature powdery vanilla base note accord (try Teint de Neige for an undiluted taste), though in Alamut it remains cloaked in heavy amber, benzoin, and patchouli. Loud as it is going on, Alamut fades rapidly – either that or I’m very fast to habituate to it. Normally I’d complain, but in this case I don’t enjoy the scent enough to rue its quick exit. I think Villoresi has done better elsewhere. Among scents of this general style, I'd sooner wear Ambre Russe, Maharanih, Anné Pliska, or maybe even a little bit of Opium.

28th February, 2010.

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.

14th November, 2009.

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?'

19th June, 2009.