Wild Oud Béjar 2014

After being deeply impressed by "Black Cube," composed by Ramon Bejar, I was eager to explore more works by the Spanish perfumer. In "Sanctum Perfume," we encounter a minimally orchestrated yet pompously sounding symphony of incense in minor, which manages to bring to olfactory life not only the sublime, sacred, cool, and completely unsweetened aspects of the oriental resin but also its smoky-sensual elements. A grand, very purist cinema!

"Wild Oud" appears more complex, even though the name of the fragrance leads one down a completely false trail: Bejar tames the agarwood without hiding it; instead, the perfumer complements the occasionally somewhat medicinal and piercing oud note in the opening with the citrusy-bitter bergamot. The real coup, however, is the nutmeg oil. Its dominance effortlessly demotes the agarwood top note to a spice - an unexpected role reversal in that the actual spice - nutmeg - appears almost foreign-fruity, while the slowly rising oud gives the fresh opening an olfactory decorative spin into the clean-sweet-glossy (sic!) realm. Just a pinch of the agarwood dusted to flour strives to enter the bouquet as the finest scent hint, without vying for attention.

Is this too complicated to conceive - or does the reviewer perhaps overstate the artistry of what is actually the most harmless craftsmanship? Possible, but unimportant - my nose dictates this perception of the top note, in which, by the way, almost everything is already laid out that will manifest later on.

The oud magic only succeeds in conjunction with the tonka bean; however, anyone hoping for a vanilla agarwood bomb will be disappointed: it remains calm in the structure, and it won't get any sweeter. Instead, a quite powerful vetiver starts the engine, only to impress with the running calm of its surprisingly cultivated drive. Its vibes are undoubtedly present, but they content themselves with grounding the fragrance. It darkens nobly and slightly woody afterwards. Just as the nutmeg note had civilized the oud, now the vetiver takes over this task. The duet of both aromas is of perfect harmony, while the echo of the delicate nutmeg melody still resonates in the upper voice.

If we assume that Bejar tames the agarwood, then he takes a step further with patchouli: its notes are practically tamed until they function as a simple fixation - free from all raw-sensual earth-heavy sweetness and certainly devoid of any mustiness. In passing, they may darken the fragrance a bit more; aside from that, this patchouli is at least bound, gagged, and paralyzed besides.

In an interview, Bejar confessed to his musky obsession; it is hardly surprising that this aroma also plays a role in his "Wild Oud." Animalistic aspects are at best a claim; it is the white, clean variant of musk that loosens the now fully developed, gently darkened, and still only slightly sweetened bouquet in a gentle wash cycle, only to finish it off with a light powderiness during drying. "Wild Oud" then lingers on the wearer for an extended period as a barely distinguishable, very soft, and aristocratically distinguished aroma - still oddly refreshing and far from any darkness: golden glimmers on the skin, which started sunny yellow...

Bejar seems to prefer elegance and refinement; this applies so far to all the fragrances he has created that I have been able to sniff. "Black Cube" impresses with the richest scent progression, while "Sanctum Perfume" powerfully strikes its lonely but powerful theme. "5Elements" captivates with one of the most exciting green-floral notes I have encountered so far - and our "Wild Oud"? It is far too sophisticated to deserve such a name. But who knows? Perhaps irony is part of the concept. The sillage is also far from wild, but consistent - and quite fitting for a fragrance of this class: Noblesse oblige.

That Bejar appreciates the show effect is evident from a glance at his Molvizar fragrances: so much bling-bling may raise doubts about the content for some. Bejar approaches this fragrance line differently, though at least as impressively. The bottles are among the most beautiful I have ever seen: angular, diamond-cut, monumentally large in relation to the manageable filling volume, and heavy like a small dumbbell, framed in black glass that seamlessly merges with the transparent part. The writing is typically engraved in a molvizar-bejar style, making it interesting to the touch. Is it handy? Certainly not - even though I can already swing the child with my hands if I make an effort. Who cares - these things are art! That they can also serve as a murder weapon is only mentioned for the sake of completeness.

Unisex is the motto, as I can indeed imagine "Wild Oud" on both genders. Some guys may find the base a bit too feminine due to its light powderiness - but this objection pales in comparison to Prada's infusions (Homme and Vetiver).

Conclusion: Both outside and inside, it’s impressive - but (as always) certainly not to everyone's taste. Given the price tag, blind purchases are out of the question anyway - but just for the sake of the incredibly beautiful bottle, one from the line will have to find its way to me sooner or later, no matter how nicely the sample is packaged...