Royal Oud Creed 2011

...to kneel for...to indulge in...to sniff to death...to raid the bank account!!!!
Royal Oud offers everything that fascinates me about the brand for the most part...independence, exclusivity, and contrasts...I will now overlook the quirky marketing and the batch myth...it has never particularly interested me.

Here too, I am fascinated by the contrasts as I have loved in Aventus and SMW. Here, a fruity-berry sweetness meets a spicy-herbaceous-masculine note. Citrusy, slightly sharp notes (pepper) collide with warm notes that strongly remind me of a rum pot...it could also be a sweet cognac-whiskey note...exactly the interplay as in Aventus...pineapple meets smoke and oak moss...in SMW it was blackcurrant with a bitter tea note. This keeps the scent exciting throughout its development for me, and I can enjoy each individual phase of the scent evolution (differently). Royal Oud also has something very ethereal-fresh, yet somehow the warm note prevails through cedar and sandalwood (is there a Creed without it??) and mini-oud...everything is included: fruity-sweet-fresh-peppery-bitter-deep-dark-alcoholic-soothing...and in the end, a smooth operator par excellence emerges...and all this with an outstanding longevity of easily over 8 hours. Royal Oud is a fragrance that touches the senses and also has a very calming effect (at least on me)...similar to Roam 10 or Cedre by Serge Lutens...a great decelerator!!! Nevertheless, it is not just a one-dimensional sofa cuddle scent...but a multi-talent for all occasions...first-class for suits and business events...as well as for going out in the evening...winter or summer...young...old...regardless...noble...but not aloof...warm but not sticky sweet...complex but not complicated...masculine but not old-school...fresh but not simplistic and quickly fading...heavy but not burdensome...strong-spicy...but not a herbal lab...simply perfect...and a very hot candidate for (my) signature scent...it will definitely find its way into the collection...that is no longer a question...even if €170 is not exactly cheap...but like with Aventus, it is worth every cent or rather every milliliter to me!

Edit 29.11.2017:

After several attempts and bottles, this scent annoys me after a certain time, reduced to 7.5.