Al Oudh (2009)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Typical Duchaufour's creation, spicy and incensey in execution with a leathery and animalistic substance, an orangy-rosey touch, green aromatic patterns and traces of final resinous temperament. Orientalistic. The dosage of aoud in here is anyway less impressive and far more attenuated and subtle than in several creations from Montale, Bond or Nasomatto for instance and is blended in low amount with a concert of (spicy, earthy, animalic, liturgical) elements in the way the scent comes out subtle and complex without a strong and powerful sillage. This fragrance is oriental and mystic in perception even if in my opinion it does't reach the "holy" levels of the spiritual Dzongkha. Al Oudh starts very spicy-herbal (with Nasomatto Hindu Grass's nuances in this phase) with a strong presence of black-rose pepper, cumin and cinnamon. This prickly molecular dust gradually introduces a leathery base with animalic traits from (minimally appointed) civet-castoreum and with the hallmarking support from neroli and rose. The latter are perceivable many hours over the first spray when the dust is in part tamed and the basic resinous smoothness is playing its role. The base is all smoked woods, herbs, roots and incense with a touch of "sticky" myrrh and soothing vanilla. The note of incense is with neroli, patchouli, resins and rose the key element because its echo spreads the reflection since the beginning. The final issue is a refined and aristocratic, dry incense-orange with prickly, woodsy and creamy nuances, ideal for a proud insight in the bon-ton and culture ambiences.

22 July, 2014

Genre: Woods

Bertrand Duchaufour’s recent Havana Vanille for L’Artisan Parfumeur was quiet and short lived on me. Not Al Oudh, which arrived right behind it this winter. Al Oudh is a robust, assertive Orientalist composition that sets incense, animalic leather, fruit and spices alongside its titular ingredient. Anyone expecting the kind of stark, piercing oudh-dominant arrangement Pierre Montale offers in Black Aoud or Oud Cuir d’Arabie will be disappointed. Al Oudh’s structure and development are complex and its mood dark and weighty, but the oudh note is more of an ensemble player than a soloist. In its ingredients* and general style Al Oudh is more akin to Jubilation XXV, which Duchaufour composed for Amouage a couple of years back.

Al Oudh’s opening is a busy assemblage of citrus, spices, and saffron that leaves an impression of heat and a tart prickle in the nose. Frankincense and the unmistakable medicinal accent of oudh fall into place with a few moments, while the scent begins to darken and sweeten under the influence of vanilla and a potent dried fruit note. These notes arrange themselves around a rose, patchouli, and leather core in a configuration that delicately balances the sweetness of fruit and vanilla with the astringency of the incense resins. Over the course of hours the sweet hay flavor of coumarin (tonka bean) and the otherworldly tonic of myrrh emerge to reinforce each end of the structure. As a result, Al Oudh gains density while retaining its overall balance.

Online reviewers are divided over a cumin note in Al Oudh. Some enjoy it, while others find it intrusive, or even repugnant. I don’t find Al Oudh’s cumin all that conspicuous, especially in comparison with scents like Eau d’Hermes, Cologne Bigarade, or Diptyque’s L’Autre. Then again, cumin smells to me like an ingredient in south Asian cuisine, not unwashed armpits, so I don’t object to it on principle. Al Oudh does have an animalic aspect, courtesy of civet and castoreum, but they contribute to the scent’s dense, warm foundation rather than acting as conspicuous individual notes.

Al Oudh is tenacious on my skin, and it wears for a solid six to eight hours before drifting slowly into a cedar, patchouli, and powdery vanilla drydown. It doesn’t strike me as a gender-specific scent, but its weight and intensity might make me uncomfortable in an office setting. I enjoy Al Oudh’s assured character and I think it extends the L’Artisan Parfumeur line (if not necessarily Duchaufour’s creative range,) in an interesting direction. It’s certainly worth sampling if your taste favors the dark and exotic.

* The two scents have in common coriander, Atlas cedar, frankincense, rose, myrrh, patchouli, and (yes) oudh.

08 June, 2014

The initial spray gives you a blast of oud with a touch of civet. That is shortly lived by a nice touch of incense and light rose. Al Ouhd is an introduction to oud fragrances. That's one of things I like about this one. I'm not a big oud fan, and this is calmer than a lot of those strong skanky ouds. I will be purchasing a bottle of this gem in the near future.

10th January, 2014

In the top notes I get cardamom, cinnamon and some neroli; a delightful triumvirate of richness with a touch of freshness. A civet-mush notes arrives in the drydown with a very nice dark rose, and now the oud, initially very faint in the background, is more evident. This is a restrained oud, a scent that - like quite a few nowadays - has oud prominently displayed in the name but uses is as a background more than a centrepiece - but a delightful backgound nonetheless. Cedar, myrrh and patchouli witha white-peppery hint of incense spiciness arrive in the base, and towards the end a non-heavy tonka is added. A substantial oud-oriental but of divinely floating lightness nonetheless - this is the oriental for those who do not like orientals for they generally are too heavy and brooding for them. Great in autumn. Great silage and projection with a magnificent longevity of eleven hours on my skin. One of Artisan's finest - short of Timbuktu genius but a damn fine scent.

09 January, 2014

The bees knees! Nice, warm, woody, eastern and slightly 'sweaty'.

22 December, 2013

I like it and dislike it. Adore every thing about this fragrance but the civet kills it for me. The combination of dates, Oud and civet exudes this body sweat smell that the only reason I tolerate it is that it smells like my pants do after I run a few miles. I tolerate it because it's my own body but doubt someone else can. If it toned down the civet which has nothing yo do with Arab fragrances I would buy this one in a flash.

16 December, 2013