Interlude Black Iris Amouage 2020

Wow… The 4th fragrance from the house of Amouage in my collection, and what can I say?

I love heavy oud fragrances combined with incense; after all, I am strongly influenced by Purpose 50, which is among my top 3 favorite scents.

I am writing this review at 2:00 AM; my wife and I just returned home from a hot, yes really, A HOT wedding day. Opinions may vary, but in my opinion, dark and leathery fragrances are best worn on hot days, of course matching the outfit (today it was a mint-colored suit with mud-colored loafers), as they really shine in that context.

3 sprays are more than enough to take the entire wedding venue of 125 people on a journey to Oman. Not to mention the compliments, I was frequently asked about Interlude Black Iris that day, which settles the topic of sillage. Longevity is a solid 9/10, nothing to worry about with Amouage.

It’s important to know that I have never smelled the regular Interlude!! But be careful!! I was really surprised by the intensity with which this fragrance hit me at first (unfortunately negatively) upon first application of Black Iris. Clearly, the rosemary stands out with incense and other initially dark and “piercing” notes.

But then…….. Drydown……. and here begins the actual evaluation of this fragrance; Amouage has once again managed to balance all heart and base notes so harmoniously yet still present and overwhelmingly masculine that this fragrance is, for ME, an absolute masterpiece. It is clearly a statement and definitely not for every nose. In the drydown, this incredible warmth emerges for me, enveloping the prominent incense and rosemary, making it sweeter and rounder, yet still very assertive.

Blind Buy? NO
Recommendation to buy? YES

Greetings from Bavaria