Oud Cologne Bortnikoff 2021

Dimitry is master of perfect blends. Composition feels well blended and natural. At the start you get juicy -Ginger,Grapefruit , Juniper berry,Pink pepper,white ambergris. About 2 hours later projection goes down and green notes kicks in piny green nutmeg and Thai oud in base. Overall it’s nice men’s classic colgone with woody green oud base

When I applied the "Oud Cologne | Bortnikoff," I was initially totally thrilled and very excited. Unfortunately, this first impression could not hold up as the fragrance developed - what a shame! The longevity on my skin is really strong at over 12 hours, and the sillage is impressive as well.

The top note starts fresh, citrusy, fruity but also creamy with aromas of bergamot, orange, lemon zest, grapefruit, and a bit of ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper. I have to think of Solero ice cream for a while. The heart note then takes a very woody-resinous direction. I recognize pine needles, cedarwood, and guaiac wood. After that, it has a slightly floral scent of rose water, gardenias, and geraniums. The base then shifts into a very animalic direction. Here, deer musk and oud dominate. It also has a balsamic scent of benzoin and amber.

In the end, the Oud Cologne went in a direction that is not really my world - just typical for artisan fragrances. Nevertheless, I thank Nick for the sample.

Beautiful, very oily-elegant bitter orange, numerous oranges and grapefruit peels slowly crushed with a mortar until all the essential oils are released, a light, slightly green cloud runs through the beautiful bitter citrus notes, juniper berry with just a bit of juniper on the stem, very slightly woody, beautifully invigorating and stimulating. Pink pepper just as a small pinch on top for a bit of spice, it does good for the rest. Very nicely balanced opening, which, despite the rather classic notes listed, comes across as quite special in its composition.

It takes an interesting, slightly unexpected direction, after 15 minutes we move with the rose and the increasingly green notes into a territory that at first glance seems a bit old-fashioned, a hint of soapiness appears here every now and then.

After over an hour we transition into the base, the rose remains delicate, now cozily framed by warm resins, thanks to the very fresh tonka the scent retains a light and invigorating quality, but the oud is rather elusive.

Overall, a rather weaker Bortnikoff release for me. A nicely balanced fragrance, with a great start, but it takes a turn that is too classic for my taste and is also very smooth in the base, generally lacking the oud mentioned in the name. I've seen more interesting fresh oud interpretations.

Oud Cologne was a blind buy for me because I really like the new Elements collection from Bortnikoff. That was reason enough for me to dive deeper into the world of Bortnikoff. Oud Cologne particularly piqued my interest because oud and the classic attributes and characteristics of a cologne are two very contrasting genres.

Now I would like to describe Oud Cologne in more detail:

Oud Cologne opens very fresh with a bitter orange. Here we have a typical Asian opening, as found in brands like Stranges, Prin, etc. I really like this bitter fresh top note. The juniper berry is also slightly noticeable and emphasizes the bitter top note again. After 1-2 minutes, the oud note already comes to the fore and gives the entire fragrance a new twist and adds a gentle animalic touch. For 1-2 hours, I find the fresh notes slightly overpowering. After 2 hours, oud takes over, accompanied by a bit of rose and geranium. The overall fragrance remains on the fresh side and does exactly what is expected from a cologne. Towards the end, I would say it’s about 70% oud, rose, and geranium, which are still framed by the fresh notes.

The most important question now is whether Oud Cologne is suitable for summer: I can clearly answer this with a "yes" because the fresh summery notes are always present and the oud softens. Of course, the wearer must not be averse to oud and must also be willing to embrace a new way of experiencing a summer fragrance.

However, Oud Cologne is still not a fragrance for oud beginners or fans of the Xerjoff Oudstars, because here the oud definitely smells different than in the typical niche fragrances that have oud in their name. Bortnikoff has a completely different quality of oud, which is why the comparison with the Xerjoff Oudstars, which are often seen as "good" oud fragrances with a pronounced oud note, is not valid. These are really not comparable to Bortnikoff. Of course, the Xerjoff Oudstars also have their justification for existence, but just not as a reference for oud.

The longevity of Oud Cologne is in a solid range at 6-7 hours. The sillage is noticeable in the first 1-2 hours at arm's length and only becomes intimate after 5-6 hours.

It should definitely be noted that Oud Cologne is an extrait and not an EDP like other fragrances in the Bortnikoff Cologne line. Therefore, I rate the price one point higher.

I am happy to have Oud Cologne in my collection and will use this fragrance more often now. For me, Oud Cologne is being rated too poorly here.