Kabul Aoud
Montale (2011)

Just found a bottle of Kabul Aoud.

I went into the fragrance with little to no expectations. I was more so excited to own a rather obscure Montale.

First spray, I get a blast of myrrh--of the sweet variety. Immediately afterwards, I'm greeted with a lots of woods. Of the woods, the oudh is first. Smells almost like moth balls.

The next wood at bat is the cedar. I love cedar, so that was a plus for me.

Once we get to the heart of the fragrance, the scent starts to "stretch out". That's when the chocolate--or an ingredient in the same olfactory lane--peeks out.

The last wood, guaic wood to be precise, becomes very prominent towards to mid and end of the fragrance. I use solid guaic wood on a regular basis; I can't help but smell it in Kabul Aoud.

I don't get coffee. But I do get an accord that tries to give this fragrance a roast coffee vibe. The guaic aids in that direction.

All in all, I like it. I love myrrh, I love guaic wood, I love cedar. And it helps that those ingredients are heavy hitters in this fragrance.

If you can find it, buy it.

Montale has several varieties of oud that it uses. "animalic" oud (Aoud Cuir d'Arabie), "rotting wood" oud (Black Aoud, Dark Aoud) and "Urinal cake" oud (Original Aoud and it's the same oud as in Kouros by YSL) Kabul Aoud is of the "urinal cake" variety of oud. Goes on smelling exactly like those little pink hockey pucks that truck stops and fast food restaurants put in their urinals.
With Kabul Aoud, thankfully it isn't as strong as it is in Original Aoud which is a scrubber.
Other reviewers have gone on about its gourmand qualities, but I don't smell chocolate or coffee. After 15 minutes it settles down to a fairly pleasant scent.

Go light on the trigger! Super woodsy scent. It's either love or hate with most Montale frags. This one I just can't get along with, had to scrub. I will try again with less fragrance but this one is a little over the top.

My package of Kabul Aoud arrived at the office in January 2015 and I ripped into it like a monkey rips into a banana. My first impression was, "Wow!" I love this scent: dark woods, myrrh, oud, coffee and a little patchouli and labdanum working in the background; just a wonderful blend.

I sampled Myrrhe Impériale (a rockstar) a couple times so I can say this one has a similar vibe. However, I wish that I had brought home a sample and/or paid more attention because I don't know enough about that fragrance to make a direct comparison to Kabul Aoud at this time. Performance on my skin is above average but certainly not beastly; it lasts a solid 10-hours...doesn't really push-out too far, but leaves a nice scent trail for 4-5 hours.

To me Kabul Aoud is more about a healthy mixture of dark woods and myrrh, blended with oud and coffee. The oud and coffee are certainly there, but they play second fiddle to the woody and balsamic accords. I would say this one is a definite try for the incense/balsamic folks, but you're probably going to have blind-buy Kabul Aoud because it may not be readily available here in North America.

Although Kabul Aoud is unisex and can be rocked by both men and women of all ages, I feel it is a little better suited for the gentleman who is a strong, silent, get-it-down type who has a playful side when among family and friends. Kabul While this fragrance is better suited for the Fall and Winter months, it's actually quite versatile and I don't find it closing wearing it during cooler Spring/Summer evenings. Moreover, Kabul Aoud absolutely shines and stuns when worn while the weather is overcast or raining. I don't know why...but it is what it is.

Update: just a quick note on some side-by-side comparisons I've done recently. Kabul Aoud is a heavier, fuller, richer fragrance than Comme des Garcons Avignon for those who are comparing incense fragrances. I love this one much better. However, Kabul Aoud is quite mild mannered when compared next to Tom Ford Sahara Noir, which smacks one above the neck and shoulders with naughty sandy incense while Kabul Aoud remains a more calming and elegant choice.

Men should wear Sahar Noir when when they're going to bust heads or drag cave women by the hair to their lair. Women should wear Sahar Noir when they wish to announce they are large and in charge or when they're about to grab some lucky cave man by the short hairs and sexually dominate him. Kabul Aoud is the better choice for those who are slightly naughty, in a quiet reserved way, but don't wish to conclude their evening in jail. Avignon is more appropriate for nuns and peace corps workers.

Smells a lot like New Haarlem with a touch of oud. Nice fragrance. If you are a fan of NH, you will love this one. Might even purchase a bottle of this. 8/10

Wow - this is special maybe evn unique
Interesting combination of rose and oud
Much tamer then other offerings
It goes anywhere and old be the go to fragrance
For day or evening - worked well

It's a good fragrance with sweet coffee scent domination and woodsy notes mostly in the background.
The opening is sweet and dark oud, guaiac wood and coffee notes mixed with some spicy notes in the background.
The oud note here is not so strong and medicinal. it's OK with enough power to scream that I'm the oud note for oud lovers. the guaiac wood also exist and give the opening much more depth and slightly smoky aroma.
The oud settle down after about 10 minutes or so, because the coffee scent is the main note of this fragrance.
In the dry down and base as I said the sweet and dark coffee scent dominate and woodsy notes and some spicy notes are in the background.
Really good longevity and good projection.
It's a good fragrance but I think there are better oud based fragrance from this house!