Thai oud
Theoretical Shoelace
Landshark321
761 Reviews
Landshark321
4
A bit more oud than Incense Oud
This is my of my decant of By Kilian Black Oud, the discontinued Arabian Nights release that is essentially the intensified version of Incense Oud. Like many seem to have noted online, Black Oud is has more oud and is more animalic than Incense Oud, so it’s less smooth and agreeable than Incense Oud while still having the balance of both incense and oud and of course, some slightly bit of rose. The balance feels 40% oud, 40% incense, 20% rose, more or less, and like the other entries in the line, it performs well, albeit not as strongly as the oud-named Pure Oud and Pearl Oud.
I believe the retail price of Black Oud was in the $350-400 range, which would be roughly the same as the main Arabian Nights collection (Amber, Musk, Rose, Incense, Pure Oud) for $395, so perhaps the higher / more intense tier was even more. Regardless, that’s too high of a price to pay, as with most Kilians, and the discounted $200-or-lower price that’s seen on many secondary markets is more line with demand, it seems. For example, FragranceNet currently has both Musk Oud (from the original Arabian Nights collection) and Pearl Oud (the Doha city exclusive) for under $200, under half of retail.
Overall, Black Oud is a nice oud-enhanced take on Incense Oud but in being more oud-laden, some of the ease of wearing is lost that I enjoy in Incense Oud. If I wanted more oud, for example, I would reach for Pure Oud, myself, even though Pure Oud has its own intense version, Extreme Oud. Still, Black Oud is nice semi-animalic winter option on its own merits, price notwithstanding.
7 out of 10
I believe the retail price of Black Oud was in the $350-400 range, which would be roughly the same as the main Arabian Nights collection (Amber, Musk, Rose, Incense, Pure Oud) for $395, so perhaps the higher / more intense tier was even more. Regardless, that’s too high of a price to pay, as with most Kilians, and the discounted $200-or-lower price that’s seen on many secondary markets is more line with demand, it seems. For example, FragranceNet currently has both Musk Oud (from the original Arabian Nights collection) and Pearl Oud (the Doha city exclusive) for under $200, under half of retail.
Overall, Black Oud is a nice oud-enhanced take on Incense Oud but in being more oud-laden, some of the ease of wearing is lost that I enjoy in Incense Oud. If I wanted more oud, for example, I would reach for Pure Oud, myself, even though Pure Oud has its own intense version, Extreme Oud. Still, Black Oud is nice semi-animalic winter option on its own merits, price notwithstanding.
7 out of 10
