Vanille Havane Coeur de Oud Les Indémodables 2024

The origins of this special edition of Vanille Havane, according to the brand, was a rare piece of oud heartwood from the cellar of a Middle-Eastern collector, sourced from a private plantation in Cambodia. The perfumer, Antoine Lie, came up with the idea to take the existing base of Vanille Havane Eau de Parfum and add oud oil extracted from this source.

To be 100% honest, I think he got overexcited and went a bit too far with the oud accord. It is undoubtedly a high quality oil and potent albeit not-too-offensive accord, but the facets of the original Vanille Havane are missed here. I get a bit of vanilla and cacao but it seems the woody aspects of the oud have trumped the subtle tobacco present in the original. Which is a shame, because I was expecting this fragrance to have the sweetness from the original and the pungent oud in equal parts, the dichotomy of which I enjoy in fragrances like Le Gemme - Orom or Sultan.

The smoky resinous aspects of this fragrance remind me a lot of Amouage. If I could describe it using other fragrances, I'd say it's at the intersection of Opus XIII - Silver Oud, Overture Man and Jubilation 40. The oud present is similar to that of Silver Oud, the fruity resinous aspects are similar to Overture, and the woody drydown is like that of Jubilation 40 (although more potent). It makes for a great experience, especially since I am fans of all three of those fragrances, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

I'm not usually one to talk about maturation after bottling, but I have heard that vanilla aromachemicals become stronger in a fragrance over time. Maybe it will improve over the next few months before this winter when I am looking forward to giving this more wear time, but if it stays as it is, it is definitely not bad.