Reviews of Black Aoud by Montale

The opening has a medicinal character to it; I find it tolerable, but can't say that I enjoy it. Thankfully it passes soon enough and the subsequent development is sensual, dark and mysterious. The rose develops beautifully. It develops and tempers the oud. It stays constant for hours; but I can't say that it tires me. Great sillage and longevity. Recommended.

Like Vibert, I wanted to like it as well. But on me, I didn't care for it.

After revisiting this fragrance I've done an about face and have come to appreciate the rose/aoud notes. Loving it!!

9/10

You guessed it, Black Aoud is exactly what it sounds like -- oud and roses. The roses, however, are done slightly different... it is not a field of roses; rather, it is a mere three or four of Earth's rarest roses that sit in close proximity to each other, and exhude such a powerful and seductive scent, that it appears to be an entire army of them. The immense power the roses have is breathtaking; as they are present in a forest of oud, which is known to be deep and dark beyond all notes. The roses possess what feels to be a naturally intoxicating scent, which results in a rose that is strong, yet subtle for it's strength, because it was not overdone or forced into a position where it could not otherwise work.Both Aoud Lime and Black Aoud are stunning, and a mind-boggling take on the oud note. They are unique, daring sharp, bold, unforgiving, and proof that Montale creates some of the most original scents known to mankind. I hate to say this, but these are definitely not a unisex scent. Any woman who wears it better have sideburns and a moustache. In Aoud Lime, the saffron is rich and spicy, blending with the woods so effortlessly; resulting in a sweetly-dark oud -- perfect for lime notes to counter, because it offers a sharp, bitter citrus note that almost resembles our beloved smoky-wood scents, but is different enough so that we instantly recognize it as innovative and original. For how in-your-face this scent is, it's very well-composed and elegant. If there's one scent that will be the "wow"-er of these samples, or one scent that forces compliments out of strangers, Aoud Lime will be it. It is breathtaking and jaw-dropping; I'm speechless by how unique and unbelievably deep this scent is. While Black Aoud is slightly more inclined towards a unisex feel, the roses are definitely not similar to the ones present in most female fragrances, let alone in any other unisex fragrance. Equally stunning, but maybe not noticeable by the uneducated noses of the general public.

Black Aoud has two major things going for it in my book. It is not hard to detect, and people absolutely notice and love it. I just wish I loved it. I find it pretty simple. I don't find it as magnificent as others. I really think Attar is way more interesting. But due to the two pluses for me, I won't swap it...yet (which I know would be extremely easy to do.)

I agree with pluran in that "Black Aoud is ultimately patchouli, oud and musk competing with each other in a frenzied orgy." I love its sillage and its consistency, but have to admit that I was amazed by its lack of complexity, esp. given the price.

When you first spray it on, it smells medicinal, which quickly evolves into something else. Let's just say I won't have a moth problem with that scent... if I kept on using it. Which I won't. I actually felt uncomfortable wearing it. Perhaps it just doesn't work with my skin, though.---------------------------------------After several further tryouts of this fragrance I felt I had to say something publicly. Black aoud, I'm sorry I said those bad things about you, I was ignorant and foolish, because I never really gave you a chance, I thought you were an ugly duckling, but in fact you were a swan.It's a strong fragrance, in more ways than one, and it makes me feel good wearing it and I think that's what fragrances are all about; not really how they make other people feel, but how they make you feel. Several people agree Yatagan smells offensive, and I love to wear it because of the attitude it yanks me into. Black Oud is much more civilized than Yatagan in that regard, but you have to learn to appreciate it. Not that I would want to wear it all the time, but geez, there are times I wouldn't wear anything but Black Oud, and my tester is almost empty, so I guess I'll be heading for the shop now.

Black Aoud-- This reminds me of Paestum Rose by L'Italie but it is a bit cooler, with an almost mint or menthol effect which may be due to some pine or resinous base. It ends a little more musky and I think I'm getting myrrh and balsam. I think I prefer Paestum. This is higher pitched , in general a leathery damask rose with musk.

A warm and very sexy aoud. It's slightly similar to TImbuktu but much more sophisticated and wears close to the skin. Best aoud of the series in my opinion.

Yummy! I get rose from Aoud cuir d'arabie and leather from Black aoud, so I find them to be similar. Black aoud is sweeter and softer though, it only has a little herbal sharpness from aoud and the rest is all rich, sultry, luxurious vintage red roses with a kinky leather basenote. I don't normally wear florals in general or roses in particular but this is just too dark and seductive to resist, a real vintage vamp. Now I have to try all of the other rose/aoud scents in the Montale line too...

took a few tries for me to decide on this one, then one day I said somethin smells interesting , realizing it was me. starts off strong but calms down but remaining dark and mysterious. thumbs up for this montale product

Since it's an aoud, the opening takes getting used to. With this particular fragrance, though, it is well worth the effort. The rose note that develops is, as others have said, dark, rich, and luscious–it's my second favorite rose note in the fragrance world; my favorite is the rose note in Montale's Aoud Damascus . The rose in Black Aoud reminds me considerably of Czech and Speake's No. 88, but I like this better–it is opulent without being overbearing; its depth seduces the passions, but it never overwhelms and suffocates. To me this is a less complicated, more refined, and more wearable rose scent than No. 88. My opinion of aouds in general is still on hold, but Montales's Black Aoud is spectacular.

Goes on medicinal and repugnant. Then a transformation takes place--sweetness and roses wafting in on a cool breeze. Mellows into a dark, spicy rose. Devastatingly beautiful. Gothic. After wearing this for a long time, I finally got my hands on a sample of real oud extract, and I have to say I'm unsure if any commercial perfumes actually contain real oud. The real substance is sweetly dirty, has an almost "repulsive" quality, and smells alot like rotten wood. It also smells like oak wood that has been sawed too quickly in a mill, and has a "destroyed" smell. All of the oud perfumes I have tested, including Montales, have more bitterness and an acetone edginess that real oud doesn't have. I think Madini's Agarwood has come the closest to the real thing.

A typical Montale. Great top notes utterly ruined by a cloying drydown. Not a thumbs-down only thanks to the oud note, delicious until the sugar powder comes into play (quite soon into the progression).

I was quite disappointed when trying this one. I was expecting something to blow my socks off, but instead I was left there with a neutral impression. I don't understand how this scent can be "Black" by any means. It's rather clean and bright. There was something striking familiar to me when I first tested it. Ah, yes! Now I remember. This smells like a darker version of C&S No 88. It has the same citrus/bergamot opening blended with a rose note. The only difference is that this has oud, which contributes to making it smell more like cleaning solvent IMO. Sure, I can see how some people would like this. But to me it quickly conjures up memories of cleaning the kitchen floor tiles with Pine Sol. No offense to fans of Black Aoud, but I personally wouldn't buy this even if it were 3x cheaper.

I find this to be almost a leather scent, which I don't think Montale lists it as. Dark, moist, leather and deep rose. Of course it's got oud, so that adds the medicinal tinge. Very good longevity. A truly manly rose. I like it better than most of the others I've tried including: Voleur de Roses, Iquitos, Malle's Une Rose, and Ungaro III. The only other men's “rose” scents I've liked as much were C&S no. 88 and Villoresi Musk. Good company to be in!

At the moment, this is my favorite fragrance - it's my soul fragrance and I'm enchanted with it.
Giraffe is right - the opening is strong. You're not sure if you're going to love or hate it. The big, piercing note is Oud wood, which is unique in being both high and low in tone. I understand it's from the presence of a form of uric acid, which some people's noses translate as... urine. But after you wear it a time or two, you don't even notice the wild opening anymore.
After the start-up calms down, the rose and leather emerge and a beautiful, smooth combination they are! It becomes a bewitching fragrance from that point on. Deep, dark, sensual, winey. The unique high note of the oud keeps Black Aoud vibrationally high, even while possessing the darkest of roses, the smoothest of leathers, the mellowist tinge of black fruit... plum? It has similarities to Voleur De Roses, which I could smell in this from midnote on. VDR didn't work for me, so I consider Black Aoud my VDR.
I can't imagine this one not becoming a classic, or at least a cult favorite. It does something only vintage L'Heure Bleue or Djedi manages to - puts me on a different emotional plane all by itself. Two thumbs up!

As with any Oud, if you are not used to the mecidinal opening you will taken aback and most likely displeased. After a few wearings though the opening no longer bothers me. Not only is it a bit odd at first put damn does it pack a punch! After about 20 minutes though this is just sooo nice! The woods here are to normal woods what a fish like halibut or Mahi Mahi is to other fish. They just don't come off as very woody. The woodiness, instead of being super woody like say cedar is, is smooth. It adds tons of depth. There is just the right amount of sweetness in the composition to balance everything out. Overall an extremely well done fragrance.