Aoud Greedy
Montale (2013)

Red Aoud with a huge dose of anise or licorace. Love the Red Aoud, hate the licorice

A somewhat poisonous affair combining pan-scrubber lemon with dry licorice – it steadfastly refuses to work until hours into the wear. The backing is mainlysome bitter almond inflected patchouli and a dense amber note. This grows in volume beating the lemon and licorice into submission. A sprinkle of powdery wood is the only nod to ‘aoud' and it is actually quite decent.
So far so dire; I'm thinking: ‘Would probably keep mosquitoes at bay, but this is ridiculous as a perfume.' But if one is prepared to clench one's teeth and wait a good two or three hours, there are rewards. The lemon comes back up but softened and somehow richer (as if it had hitched a ride in an Amouage limo) and suddenly the patchouli backing (which has grown muted over time) makes perfect sense. The licorice is now lost in the mix but there is a wonderful sense of a complex old world base to compensate.
There you have it – quite an accomplished late phase but I'm unprepared to sit through the hours of instability that precede it.

Just got my sample today in the mail. If this is an example of the house of Montale, which I have never tried before, then I want nothing to do with it. Nasty stench, reminds me of every Bath & Body Works amber fragrance ever made. I don't get any licorice (which I love), and it smells cheap. Not sure I have ever been so offended by a fragrance.