Mysterious Oud Bortnikoff 2018 Extrait de Parfum

Mysterious Oud is the most wearable of all the Bortnikoff ouds I have tried (and I've loved all of them). I perceive bergamot, orange, and spices at the top. Then in comes a deep rich woody oud, with a tiny hint of Tonka and vanilla sweetness, as well as resins. This oud is really gorgeous. Like a walk through a stand of cedars after the rain. I'm getting the faintest whiff of fur (civet), but the oud is hardly animalic for me, nor is it fermented, or challenging at all on my skin. The blend of oud, resin, and vanilla is really amazing. Mysterious Oud is a good place to start if you want to experience oud.

Edited to add: the drydown eventually gets animalic in the best way with a really nice civet. For me the oud itself was not animalic though, just to clarify.

Let me start by saying that, in my opinion, the smell may be considered by some to be heavier among the available agar fragrances and unaccustomed people.
My perception of this fragrance has changed over the years. I think that apart from the change in my perception resulting from the large number of scents I have known, including ingredients from different parts of the world, the smell itself has also changed (the original version vs. the current versions). The current one seems less invasive.
I personally find something narcotic about it. [I measure the level of narcosis in the perception of perfumes by the number of gummies over time ... here the time unit may be different. After all - the average resulting from the substitution of data into this formula is above the average ... and transforming the result into a percentage record, where 100% is a constant holding of the nose to the wrist, and 0% is one smack and the desire to cut off the hand - the result is around 80 %] :-)
With this fragrance, under the Bortnikoff-Dima brand, he began his march along the path to offer others something comparable and often better than very good, real agar perfumes from the Middle East. The premiere took place in 2018 and for some it is his best agar perfume, for others not. A matter of taste, reception, preferences, etc.
The smell is dense in reception from the very beginning. People who like 'agar' fragrances available in Europe may be curious and surprised (I will not elaborate on IFRA and EU regulations here - the topic of the river).
Whatever the case, in Mysterious Oud we have incl. naturally sourced and used agar oils from different types of 'infected' trees and from different parts of the world. The distillation was taken care of by the company of 2 friends (Dima and Russian Adam) -Feel Oud, opened for the purpose of acquiring them, and the place - Thailand.
We have very well blended agar oils from agar trees from India, Vietnam and Thailand. Unfortunately, I am not a specialist who knows with closed eyes, but with an open mind - when and which of them enters the stage, but I can clearly feel the differences when using them. Other notes that soften this strong combination of oud and make it more accessible are delicate-sounding citrus (I can smell oranges), spices (cinnamon), as well as smoothing the sharpness of an additional fragrance (about which in a moment) - by adding a light embalming and light sweetness (noticeable over time) thanks to the addition of myrrh, opoponax, tolu balm, tonka beans. Now for the extra note that I feel here clearly and which may be heavier for some people in combination with the thick agar sound is a castoreum. I can feel it clearly and once - at the beginning of my adventure with this fragrance, I experienced this kind of distinct animality quite intensely. If I were to visualize the scent of these perfumes - these are agar trees covered with resins with spices pressed here and there and nibbled by an uneaten beaver. For some, the beginning may be a bit skunky. These are not perfumes with a typically neutral overtone, such as Oud Monarch, Tabac d'Ore, Sayat Nova or Triad. Personally, I recommend agarophiles and all those with open minds when it comes to getting to know smells, especially to those who understand the word NICHE.

Mysterious Oud from Bortnikoff. By far, my favorite offering from this house. For me, the house was a miss for the most part. None stood out the way Mysterious Oud did. I first tried this perfume when Dmitry was launching his line. However, back then I couldn't appreciate its boldness. Funny enough, it was the one to last the most from the original trio, yet by the time I made the courage to purchase a bottle, it barely sold out, and then it got changed. To my nose, it got reformulated, and after comparing, the OG is more dense, base-heavy, and Oud-dominant. It has more oomph to it. The subsequent light-colored wooden cap and the Roja-style cap bottles feel more sheer, less Oudy, almost Cedarish, and a touch more ambery/spicy. More tailored for the Western palate, let's say. Still, very similar in DNA.

This perfume is a gorgeous melange of warm spices, lots of natural Ouds mixed in the base, sweet and gooey resins, and a beautiful leathery, chewy castoreum. The overall effect is of an oud perfume, supported by the warmth of the spices and resins, with a bit of a dirty touch from the beaver. Rather simple but very well done and unique smelling. I can't compare this to anything on the market. It shines in cold weather, even though I wear it all year round if I feel like it. In the cold, all the warmth surfaces to envelope you into a most satisfying aura.

In my books, this is the best offering from the house.

IG:@memory.of.scents

Mysterious Oud by Indie/Niche Haute Luxury Perfumery House Bortnikoff based in Thailand is a Extrait De Parfum Woody Amber Spicy. It was launched in 2018, and the perfumer who signs this fragrance is Dmitry Bortnikov.

The mysterious 'oud opens with a slightly fresh citrus and spicy green footprint, creating a sweet and sour feel. The delicate sweetness of a distinctive amber that is very woody is gradually beginning to warm the fragrance.
The florals for me are practically imperceptible, I only feel the slightly indole jasmine discreetly, opening the way to the multifaceted center of the fragrance with nuances: slightly animalic, with balsamic softness and smoky resinousness.

The fragrance is always wrapped in a blend of natural 'ouds oils with characteristics ranging from a woody woody Vietnamese 'oud forest green earthy through easy Thai oil fruity sweet and finishing with the iconic animalistic Indian 'oud barn woody sweet; all this masterfully mixed by master Bortnikov and seasoned by exotic spices and herbs pouring over a woody background of cedar and milky sandalwood.

This smoky balsamic resinous woody base formed mainly by a steaming myrrh and opoponax goes into suspension like a dense cloud of an authentic incandescent bakhoor, the castoreum here makes no noise. Super woody, ambery, spicy, warm and masculine perfume; I like it a lot.
About the fame of Mysterious Oud Being Really Fearsome Challenging? I didn't find it, in fact I found a version I tried a few years ago heavier.

Mysterious Oud is my last review of my six samples, and I took a while intentionally to give this one a few wearings. It is definitely quite complicated, intense, and polarizing, so I wanted to get the full effect over multiple days. I've concluded that Mysterious Oud is simply not for me.

First of all, I don't really get the citrus and spices many reviewers are talking about. I suppose there are some citruses in the mix to accentuate the top end of the resinous notes as is often done in oriental perfumes, but I don't get them as distinct notes. As for spices, I don't get any at all, which is weird because this is rated mainly as a spicy-woody fragrance.

What I do get are intense florals (mostly jasmine/neroli) and a huge animalic accord that is unique from any I have tried before. I've tried my share of fecal/barnyard-y ouds and stinky animalic notes, but this combination of oud, castoreum, and resins (mostly myrrh I think) is giving the distinct impression of...cheese? That's probably the nearest I can get to describing it. Definitely interesting and unique, but I don't think I want to go around smelling like this.