The Aoud
Mancera (2011)

The Aoud by Mancera (2011) is a very warm, ambery and slightly phenolic oud, very reminiscent of western amber fragrances that often had oudy traces without claiming oud in their note pyramids. In particular, I'm thinking of things ranging from Youth Dew by Estée Lauder (1953) all the way up to Balenciaga pour Homme (1990), plus the myriad animalic ambers that exist inbetween. The drydown does become much more tame than these vintage examples, because this was released by Mancera (and not the more gulf-centric older brother brand Montale), and we're talking 2012 here. A lot of people compare this to the Montale ouds, and perhaps more-directly to Montale Black Aoud (2006) itself, but I don't see the relationship other than briefly with the rose.

Everything else in The Aoud by Mancera goes a different way from most Montale ouds, but people were likely so sick of trying to tell them apart without knowing the subtleties of gulf commercial oud perfumery itself (what's popular at souks in the middle east), that the knee-jerk was "not another one". Beyond the rose, we get spices and saffron mixing with the aforementioned amber, and some rose geranium to bring a bit of sparkle in. There is a sort of leathery tobacco nuance that reminds me greatly of Vintage Novel by Darren Alan (2019), but on a higher-volume, lower-quality wavelength, as we're not dealing with custom-distilled materials. The finish is rather smooth, with some sandalwood notes punctuated by patchouli and a vintage animalis note, recalling the aforementioned Youth Dew, alongside traces of the oud and the thick amber.

Performance is out of this world to be sure, and complaints I've seen to the contrary really make me shake my head. Mancera initially introduced this in an upscale "gold" range that was $40 more expensive than the "white" range containing fragrances like Cedrat Boise by Mancera (2011) or the later Aoud Violet by Mancera (2014), but eventually they would all become the same retail price and litter discounters for even less. I know this one survived the switch from the original screw-top batches to the later magnetic tops, unlike the later and notorious Black to Black by Mancera (2012), but would eventually see discontinuation as Mancera decided to leave ouds mostly to the Montale range and focus on "FragComm" favorites like Cedrat Boise and Mancera Red Tobacco (2017). I guess the Compliment Bros™ didn't want to smell like this. Pity. Thumbs up

I realized something. Seems like all of these Mancera's that have the word oud in them name seem to smell alike. Might be that trademark musk they put in them. This is also another one that smells like Montale's Black Aoud. this is slightly sweeter though. Nice wood accord in this as well. For those reasons, I give it a neutral.

The smell of a freshly lacquered hardwood floor, made complex and soft enough to serve as a beautiful personal scent. When the aoud mood comes, this is a great fix.

I would like to sum this up in one word.........Aoudalicious!!!!!

one of the best from Mancera. There is a vague menthol vibe that I get from the cloves, that really makes this scent, pop. You can tell, immediately, how well made it is. Longevity is off the charts. Sillage is impressive and alluring, Im told. And every note is of the best quality. One of my favorites.

Rich woody fragrance with arabian qualities and longevity.

Thumbs up!