Montale

[MrMister]

Hey guys!

What do you think about Montale? Are they good quality? Some say they are kitschy and synthetic, so I wondered what's your opinion on them.

[hednic]

I personally like the house and count every one of their 217 releases in my collection.

[ILikePeeps]

Pretty much nobody here knows about the quality of 99%+ of the fragrances spoken about; it's in our heads on what we perceive as smelling quality (based on price, name, etc.).
But Montale (and by proxy Mancera) has tons of offerings. I recommend getting samples of the popular stuff and work from there.
Some may come across as more synthetic, some more natural. I wouldn't say they're a 'natural' smelling house, but they aren't bad either. Both houses are loved by many, have tons to choose from, and pretty great pricing on grey market.

[Blitzkrieg]

Sample them.

They have so many releases it's hard to keep track of them all.

I've only owned a few, but they were g2g.

[StylinLA]

MONTALE probably gets bashed a bit by oud purists since they have so many scents with oud that likely contain no real oud. They are also very prolific with dozens of scents, some of which don't get a lot of traction. Plus they own/operate MANCERA which pumps out a lot of scents aimed at "fragbros."

But overall, they have some well regarded scents.

Many many Basenoters own at least a couple of MONTALES.

Personally I own BLACK AOUD and DARK AOUD and don't find either to be overly synthetic or kitschy.

[jkonick]

Are they kitschy and synthetic? Yes. Are they worthwhile fragrances to sample/buy? Also yes.

If you like refined, well-calibrated complex affairs with distinct periods of evolution, Montale/Mancera might not appeal to you. But if you like big, loud, neon-bright creations which generally feature a lot of rose, leather and/or oud, go for it. I own Black Aoud (absolutely huge, bright rose and oud), Aoud Cuir d’Arabie (barnyard oud and leather that wears like a Saudi royal visiting a petting zoo), and Greyland (relatively tame ultra-dry wood and spices).

Samples are not hard to find (FragranceNet carries a lot), and they’re worth sampling because of the loud, potentially polarizing style. Overall I guess I’d say that while they are very big fragrances with a high proportion of synthetics, they are also well constructed and just enjoyable to wear. IMO they aren’t quite worth retail prices, but I’ve gotten most of my bottles for around $60, there’s lots available around that price if you look.

[cameron]

I go in phases w Montale. They are strong not work friendly for me so I rarely wear.
That said, some of them smell GREAT such as intense cafe

[sjg3839]

Red Vetyver stood out of the few that I sampled.

[Beck]

Like in almost all niche brands there are the good and the bad.

[GoldWineMemories]

I don't really enjoy the house of Montale apart from Black Aoud and maybe two others. Intense Cafe smells too much like Chocomusk to me.

[cacio]

Welcome!

I like many of them and I think they have a very good quality/price ratio (for niche). they are obviously synthetic, but that's true of pretty much every house.

cacio

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

I've sampled a number of the Montales, some were nicer than others but overall I never found one that I enjoyed enough to warrant a purchase.

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Red Vetyver stood out of the few that I sampled.

Tried this one as well, wasn't too bad.

[NickZee]

I have 25+ Montales. Why? They are big, brash, unapologetic, exotic scents. They bristle and they growl. They are very affordable. The rose notes are excellent. They have a distinct Montale signature that no other brand comes close to.

But it takes a lot of work to navigate the range. Once you get past the 10 or so scents that everyone raves about, it’s possible to step on a dud, but there are also gems to be found which either have not caught on or were popular 8-9 years ago but have since been forgotten about.

I read lots of lazy reviews saying “another Montale rose oud, they’re all the same”. Well the openings on some of the old aoud compositions can be similar, but then they become distinct variations on a beautiful theme. Why bother releasing a dud, when you can take the beautiful Black Aoud and give it a mid that features violet petals and sandalwood (i.e. Aoud Flowers). Or take Black Aoud and give it a big dose of candied dark berry notes (I.e. Aoud Purple Rose). Or take Black Aoud and give it the sensuality of original Dior Homme (i.e Red Aoud). Or take Black Aoud and insert a big cloud of vanilla (i.e. White Aoud).

This variation theme has its origins in how Montale started before the brand even existed. The founder made “tailored” perfume for brides and grooms In the Middle East and the couples essentially chose from a set of accords which added up to a finite number of choices. The early perfumes were then bottled in similar cans as Montale uses now and had the bride and grooms names on them. It’s these early compositions which then led to an explosion of releases in the early days of Montale.

Once you step away from the Aoud compositions, you might stumble across designers on steroids. One of my guilty pleasures is Fougere Marines, which has Cool Water vibes, but the Montale growls for 10 hours+.

I personally think the older aoud compositions in the Montale range, from their golden period circa 2006-2012 remain benchmarks for what a great oud composition should smell like and how it should wear (LOUD). Regardless of whether they contain oud, that’s besides the point, Montale and Mancera have heavily influenced what a good oud “composition” is. Real oud often is a let down for me.

[cmax]

Love mostly all montale /Mancera that I have tried with a very small exception.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[RichMan'sOldSpice]

I've tried several of the Montale fragrances, many have too strong (for me) of the Oud/Rose notes. I have purchased 2 full bottles from Montale, Greyland and Spicy Aoud , like them both very much.

[Mr.Smellin.Good]

I personally like the house and count every one of their 217 releases in my collection.

Hey man, out of your collection, which one is your favorite? Or which one do you wear the most?

[Andy the frenchy]

Hey guys!

What do you think about Montale? Are they good quality? Some say they are kitschy and synthetic, so I wondered what's your opinion on them.

Quite loud and linear, bold but crowdpleasing at the same time, and not obviously the most refined ingredients.

I love:
Dark Aoud
Greyland
Aoud Cuir d'Arabie
Aoud Musk
Starry Nights

I like:
Full Incense
Original Aoud (fka Bois d'Aoud)
Arabians

I don't care for:
Black Aoud
Honey Aoud
Aoud Leather
Red Vetyver
Purple Aoud

Impossible to list them all since they have 200+ fragrances in their offerings.... (kind of ridiculous-leaning, but ok).
None of them is worth the full retail price, but when bought at discounters, a few are well worth it, imo. That said, in spite of loving a few, i could live without any of this house, and only one or two of them might enter my top 50.

In a nutshell, for me: none is quintessential imo, but some are pleasant, and might be worth it. (but only at discounter pricing!)

[woodnotes55]

By my count I have 215 fewer bottles than Hednic!!!

(Have Wind Wood and Kumkat Wood....)

A lot of good advice/suggestions so far in this thread. I concur with sampling, I got quite a few and have not got through all of them yet, but that's the best way to determine if you are Nick Zee and will buy many or StylinLA or me that have two..... although I have a couple more on the maybe list pending more sample wearings.

One nice thing is the samples can be found reasonably priced compared to a lot of niche (along with reasonable full bottle prices in many cases). There are some packaged sets - I got Discovery Collection Mens Best Sellers 7 x 2 ml for under $30 and its only 35 or so on the Montale web site. There are several packages plus make your own options.

Finally, although there is a "family" vibe to many of the scents as NickZee said, there are also differences. Don't judge the line based on just a couple of samples..... I have tried one or two that I thought were among the worst have tried (based on note(s) just don't like not quality) to be followed by something okay and then by one that is very nice. Too many to try all but go for a decent number based on your time and budget....

[RedRaider430]

I only have a few Montales, but the ones I have I really like or I wouldn't have bought them. (I do sample most everything I buy, however.)

[hednic]

Hey man, out of your collection, which one is your favorite?

That's a tough one, but perhaps Santal De Mysore.

[Man Of The World]

Not a house that I am particularly keen on. Far too many releases. A case of quantity over quality. The majority of their fragrances smell too similar. They come across as a little tacky. Just my opinion though.

[Mr.Smellin.Good]

That's a tough one, but perhaps Santal De Mysore.

Interesting. Thank you for letting me know.