White Aoud
by Montale

I'm surprised there is very little mention of saffron. White Aoud is predominantly oud and saffron with creamy vanilla-amber undertones and a small amount of florals. Lighter than other offerings in the Montale stable, but still very rich and satisfying.

As a side note, Aoud Safran is basically a stripped-down version of White Aoud with a higher price tag -- so get this one instead. Also, it is better in the extra concentration.

Some people are telling that this is very subtle and wimpy aoud scent, but perhaps you shouldn’t believe that.

White Aoud is as potent as some other scents in the aoud line of Montale, and you obviously cannot be agarwood shy if you have any change to enjoy this scent.

White Aoud is a stable and very long lasting blend of loads of electric oud and saffron. There is also some other ingredients for sure, but to me they are very much overwhelmed by these two main elements.
In addition of oud and saffron, I could probably think that there is some rose, patch, sandalwood and vanilla. Perhaps some amber, too.

This could easily be seen as a hybrid of some other Aoud fragrances of Mr.Montale and obviously you don’t need to own them all because they tend to resemble each other quite closely.

Personally I recommend White Aoud particularly for those who, for example, find Red Aoud too sweet and extrovert.

Could be worn by men if you like, but I can smell the fact that Montale had ladies in his mind while creating this.

A soft and subtle vanilla-based oud that, unfortunately, failed to impress. Personally, it’s too timid and sweet to be taken seriously.

A Montale aoud specifically designed for the Western palette…

******

If you’re interested in purchasing any Montale fragrances, please consider our highly-respected Basenotes member, maisonstinky, as your first point of contact. He offers an exceptional service, competitive prices and special offers to fellow Basenoters. For further details, please cut and paste the link below:

http://www.basenotes.net/specials/montale.html

[Original submission date: 13 April 2008]

Of the many in the Aoud-line, White Aoud is 'the' Jeckyl-and-Hyde of the bunch. White Aoud starts of with the Montale oud note, softer then Black Aoud, but not initially balanced with contrasting accords. After about 10-15 minutes, the "soft side" (vanilla, amber, florals) of White Aoud begins to present itself. For the next two or so hours, the fragrance is an exercise in transition. Oud becomes less prominent as the amber/vanilla becomes more prominent. At some point the oud and amber/vanilla are in balance, then the sweeter notes take over.

Eventually the oud note fades away completely, leaving a soft and very pretty amber/vanillic base. This is remarkable, even compared to others in the Montale Aoud line in which at least some oud remains in the composition through the base (Aoud Shiny, Aoud Damascus for example). It's also remarkable just how far the fragrance travels from dark, distinct oud to near-Guerlinade in the base. The first time I tried White Aoud and forgot about it on my hand for a couple hours, for the life of me I couldn't remember what I'd sampled.

It's taken me a while to appreciate oud accords enough to wear them. It so happens that White Aoud was one of the first that I really enjoyed - I then went on to try many others and came back to this one, finding I like it just as much as I did the first time I tried it. I'd recommend this (and Silver Aoud) as the perfect 'starter Aoud' for getting into the line.

I agree with Trebor that this is an oud designed for Western tastes - and perhaps even the more adventuresome ladies... but what's wrong with that? I live in the West, not a middle-eastern city, and White Aoud works quite well.

I am not an aoud lover by any means......and White Aoud has not made an exception to this rule; however, it is as pleasant as an aoud is going to become for me.

A smidgeon of vanilla and sandalwood make this wearable for me, but this is a definite try-B-4-U-Buy fragrance.

White Aoud does a soft take on aoud; it is creamy with a mellow vanilla tinge. This is an aoud that I find quite sensual, and the sensuality comes, I believe, not so much from the aoud, but more from the delicate rose, jasmine, sandalwood, and, especially, vanilla. I’m not one who likes most vanillas – very often they are too sweet and cloying for me, but this vanilla seems less about itself and more about its ability to contribute to the smoothness of the other notes. The rose is muted, the jasmine is introverted, the sandalwood is soft and echoes the smoothness of the vanilla. White Aoud gets where it gets because of the sweet delicacy of its rose, jasmine, and sandalwood shadowed by its almost airy aoud. I find it sensual. It’s not intriguing, it’s not rich, it’s not breath taking, it is soft and sensual. A lovely fragrance... the longevity is quite good because of the skin scent drydown.