Icon Absolute Dunhill 2015

With an endless patience, the lady from the navigation system regularly tells me that I have missed the exit - and then follows the polite instruction to please turn around at the next opportunity. However, she has no idea that I might just be avoiding a traffic jam.
In the process, I often pass by places that I would never have seen from the highway: wonderful, idyllic villages, top-notch village pubs with hearty food, and remote lakes inviting for relaxation.

It must have been similar with Dunhill's Icon Absolute.
Because the driver seems to have a clear destination in mind: Oud Wood. This is the direction we are heading, which can be sensed from the very beginning.

After the ignition key (flacon cap) has been turned and the engine started, a massive load of Strong-I-Don't-Know hits the nose first. Terrible! As if one had pressed their mouth and nose tightly against the exhaust just to get the full blast of exhaust fumes. This, however, is only a comparison - IT DOES NOT SMELL LIKE EXHAUST.
But it does smell strong at first. Very strong. Once the first 30 seconds have passed, one begins to sense where it is going: Oud Wood.
The heart note of Oud Wood is the top note of Icon Absolute.
"Follow the road for a long time," says the lady in the navigation system. And I already have Oud Wood in mind as my destination.

But after half an hour on the straight highway towards Oud Wood, the traffic jam warning echoes around me. Oh, I was just enjoying the modern remixes of old 80s music on my Spotify playlist - I really could have done without the traffic jam now. My navigation system says nothing about it.

So I take the exit towards "Forest." While I have been driving for a few minutes on the deserted country road towards the forest, the lady from the navigation system suddenly speaks up again, "Please turn around if possible!" She monotonously repeats this instruction over and over. Until it becomes too silly for me, and I end the navigation.
The road is idyllic, empty, and winding. I roll down the windows because the scent of the leather seats in my new car occasionally gives me a headache. Wonderful country air - no cow or pigsty, but freshly mowed GRASS, alpine HERBS, and the forest far away. I also keep catching whiffs of Oud Wood.

Finally arriving in the forest, I am horrified to find that it has been cleared, and a fallen tree trunk makes it impossible for me to continue on the now single-lane gravel road.
"Please turn around," I curse sarcastically to myself. Thank goodness my girlfriend is not with me. She seems to have conspired with the lady from the navigation system against me. At least, that's what I believe. From time to time, I also accuse her of cereal terror, especially when she tries to replace my beloved white sausage breakfast with healthy bowls. "Think of your cholesterol levels," she almost monotonously chimes every morning from the bathroom.

So I turn around. It smells intense, woody, and beautiful. But Oud Wood was my destination. That's where I wanted to go, right?
So I drive back down the road, get lost in the next roundabout, and suddenly discover a sign: "Oud." I wonder if it leads in the direction of Oud Wood?

I follow the sign. With the windows closed, the intense scent of freshly chopped wood and the leather seats of my new car accompanies me, underscored by a hint of saffron and spices.

Finally, the town sign: OUD.
Yes, and you can smell it too. Intense, very intense.
The wood, leather, and saffron are still perceptible, but Oud now takes center stage. So authentic and captivating. As if I were in a mall in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. You can almost smell the wealth of the village.

"Excuse me, where does one go to Oud Wood?" I ask an elegant gentleman by the roadside.
"Do you not like it in Oud?" he responds to my question.
"Well, yes, but I really need to get to Oud Wood..." I reply with an embarrassed smile.
"Do you have to?" he asks provocatively.
"No, I don't have to," I answer firmly.

It doesn't always have to be the pompous Oud Wood. Sometimes, a down-to-earth Oud is enough - especially when you have the right company with you.