By now you’ve probably made up your mind on oud. Either you’re tired of it being shoehorned into every other fragrance or you’re beginning to enjoy it like any other ubiquitous note in perfumery. Those are the two ends of the spectrum and most of us fall somewhere in between. I’ve found my own taste actually moving from the former position towards the latter. There are two things which have changed my attitude. The first is I took some time to educate myself about the different forms of oud. From the country of origin to the age of the trees there is a whole world of gradations in oud. The second change is our most talented artists have had some time to truly play with oud and learn its limits. What it works with and what it doesn’t. So where the idea of another faceless oud fragrance pushes me towards the “tired of it” end of the spectrum when a master perfumer gets ahold of it I’m on the “enjoying it” end of the range. The latest release to find me at that point is Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud.
Francis Kurkdjian fulfills my qualification for talented artist. His Absolue pour Le Soir is what I consider to be a modern classic. When M. Kurkdjian is at his best is when his fragrances challenge you without making you want to find the nearest alcohol wipe. In the early stages of Oud, M. Kurkdjian really pushes that envelope and seeing some of the other reactions in the blogosphere it looks like for a few it is a step too far. I was more fascinated with where this was going because surprisingly the early funkiness is mostly due to saffron and elemi resin. The oud isn’t even close to being the culprit which I’m sure will surprise a few of you. From that start Oud settles down into a lovely warm and soft fragrance with M. Kurkdjian finding warmth in oud I haven’t previously experienced.
Oud begins with that saffron and elemi resin beginning I referred to. The saffron is dialed up to pungent level and the elemi resin is also present in an almost similar intensity. Elemi in this concentration has a concentrated citrus quality which is why the saffron seems to collide against it. I found the combination similar to those clove oranges you see in the fall; the spice is the more prominent experience but it is the orange which provides a tartly sweet underpinning. The same relationship exists in the top notes of Oud. Elemi has a lightly floral quality to it as well and so when the Laotian oud arrives in the heart you are sensitized to the same quality in the oud being used. This version of oud being used here is a more leathery version without the stronger woody or medicinal qualities oud can sometimes have. It is very smooth especially after the orthogonal clash of the top notes. In fact the woodiness is so toned down M. Kurkdjian adds some Atlas cedar to give some wood to the heart. A great non-earthy patchouli is the finishing touch and it blends very well with the lingering oud and cedar.
Oud has average longevity and average sillage, surprisingly less sillage than most other oud fragrances; which could be a selling point for some.
By choosing the right source of oud and finding a unique way to present it Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud is something to be enjoyed by any fragrance lover no matter which end of the oud spectrum you inhabit these days.
Disclosure: This review was based on a decant purchased from Surrender To Chance.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor