Bottle Design:
Ramón Monegal Maso

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Essentials Collection

Dry Wood Ramón Monegal 2011

6.6 / 10 88 Ratings

A perfume by Ramón Monegal for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is woody-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Citrus

Fresh

Synthetic

Fragrance Notes

Basil

Dry woods

Grapefruit Jasmine

Jasmine

Lemon

Lilac

Musk

Oakmoss

Patchouli

Spices

Tonka bean

Perfumer

Ramón Monegal Maso

Ratings

Scent

6.688 Ratings

Longevity

7.973 Ratings

Sillage

7.069 Ratings

Bottle

7.475 Ratings

Value for money

5.922 Ratings

Submitted by Florblanca, last update on 10/27/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Essentials Collection collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cashmere Men

L'Homme Libre Eau de Toilette

Reviews

12 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/18/2012

5Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

3

Bad Wood...

Dry Wood opens on skin with a nose burning blast of citron before quickly calming down to allow the lemon-like citron to smooth out, joining with just a touch of black pepper to dirty it up a bit. The citron and pepper remain into the early heart notes, where a strong woody accord presents itself. This wood contains hints of cedar, but there is some other wood in there that I am having a hard time identifying. In the mid heart an extremely strong bay leaf note emerging from the base takes the fore and dominates everything else completely through the base notes. Projection and longevity are outstanding.

This one is a scent on paper that I should love, but I confess I don't. The opening citron blast was quite the shocker that really could clear sinuses and I mean it. Things got off to a disappointing start but began to right themselves as the citron calmed down and allowed one to really appreciate it. It actually meshes with the woody accord quite well and I started to enjoy the scent... Then the bay leaf completely spoiled things in my mind as I kept likening it more than a bit to the dry-down of Havana by Aramis (a scent I love) but the bay leaf is much stronger here and less desirable smelling, IMO. On the whole I don't dislike Dry Wood and it has some nice strengths at times, but at the kind of prices RM charges, a scent has to really impress and I don't think Dry Wood lives up to the standard. I personally would stick to the much better Havana at a fraction of the price of this one. My rating is a very average 2.5 out of 5 stars.

03/11/2019

3.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

KingPin
16 Reviews

KingPin

2

Train ride and sailing camp

When I was about ten/eleven years old in the early 80-ies I was living on the coast of the Swedish archipelago. Our greatest adventure was going alone with friends on the train to Stockholm. It is only 45 minutes, but it felt like a faraway trip to another world. You had no cellphones in those days, so you were truly on your own. The trains were old, probably over 20 years, in brown metal with wooden panels inside, and a bordeaux/dark grey striped velvety padding on the very upright seats. We usually did these trips in summer, so the windows were down so that you could catch the breeze in the otherwise steaming carriages.

The trains were as mentioned very old, and were built for transport, not comfort. The brakes were metal-on-metal, so the breaking was a screechy affair. As the train braked on these dusty summer days there was a distinct smell of burnt metal and dust. As smell of the iron in blood, smoke, gravel dust and cold steel. This is the EXACT opening scent of “Dry Wood”, combined with a bit of bay leaf (after an initial flash of citrus).

After about an hour or two the bay leaf takes over with hints of fresh pepper. Interestingly enough, in Sweden you use bay leaf in the water when boiling hot dogs, so my trip goes from train adventures to sailing camp in the archipelago. Boiled hotdogs were a staple lunch for the crews, hungry as wolves after hours on the sea, and the bay leaf scent was a blessing since it signified an upcoming feast of hot dogs in bread with ketchup and mustard.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed these trips down memory lane, I must admit that smelling like train breaks and hot dog water with pepper is probably not going to be my signature scent.

11/15/2024

3.5Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

StarryBaby
7 Reviews

StarryBaby

1

Harsh & Mean

Oh my god, this burns! When will it smooth out?? Opens with acrid bitterness that goes on and on. Who would possibly like this? I guess it’s the basil, bay leaf + lemon supported by the oak moss that make this so unappealing to me. I wish there were noticeable florals or spices to make this “nicer.” Not one of the unisex wood scents that I love, more decidedly old-school masculine. Craggy lighthouse keeper, this one’s for you.

06/18/2012

8Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Top Review 20

Herb Notes from Spain

One thing makes me sympathetic to Ramon Monegal: when a special molecule is used, they name it as such in the pyramid. While Ambroxan was presumably responsible for the herbaceousness in Agar Musk, it seems that Norlimbanol is at play in the closely related Dry Wood. According to Perfumer's Apprentice, Norlimbanol creates a very strong woody-animalic amber note that is supposed to be particularly dry and has hints of patchouli.

I cannot disagree; this description reads almost like a summary of Dry Wood: just like Agar Musk, Dry Wood is bone dry, creaky, and very much an acquired taste. Dry Wood may have it a bit easier for me - a vodka martini and a decent red wine help me access it. Besides the suspected Norlimbanol, a laurel note is noticeable; overall, there is a herbaceous-green touch, and I initially thought of notes like carrot seeds or absinthe. Cashmere wood, which I often perceive as burnt and licorice-like, is thankfully not isolated in this case.

Unlike Agar Musk, a citrus-minty top note makes it easier for us to approach such a level of herbaceousness. This is supported by a slightly aromatic yet mossy hint, of which I would have liked even more. The green citrus note harmonizes unusually well with the rest - great compliment, it couldn't be done better! Of course, it fades after a while and then reveals the herbaceousness completely unfiltered: it doesn't just smell like wood, but also like pure, fresh plant juices. If this perfume were a red wine, the connoisseur would highlight the pronounced tannins.

Ramon Monegal demonstrates with these two fragrances a both puristic and extreme interpretation of a (men's) scent. This uncompromising concept should be approached with interest but also with all due caution. In Agar Musk, I did not like the unfiltered bitterness on my skin. However, perceived from a distance on someone else - this opportunity arose at a small Parfumo meeting - it was quite magnificent. I think the same applies to Dry Wood, although in this case, the extremely well-harmonizing citrus note provides the perfume lover with a familiar anchor.

Ramon Monegal exaggerates with Dry Wood and also Agar Musk that puristic approach that has been showcased by perfumes like Wonderwood or even some of the Dsquared men's fragrances for some time now. While many seek their masculinity in today's sweet orientals or yesterday's opulent aromatic fougères, Ramon Monegal shows us how it could also be done differently. However, since both of the herbaceous Ramon Monegal perfumes can claim the attribute "slim," any assumption that they are essentially macho perfumes is misguided.

Dry Wood and Agar Musk will find their audience, but probably a small one.

06/17/2013

8Scent 10Longevity 5Sillage

Unterholz
57 Reviews

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Unterholz

Top Review

Courage Makes the Beginning

I find Dry Wood to be a bold creation, and it exemplifies how a perfumer can create something incredibly exciting by deviating from the consensus. In this respect, the result must also be recognized as something new and unique, capable of holding its own in the fast-paced market. One can only wish that for this perfume.

Dry Wood has little to do with 'dry wood' and much more with the theme of sandalwood, albeit indirectly. Since the global stocks of this highly sought-after raw material in the perfume industry can no longer meet demand, chemistry has stepped in (Firmenich, Givaudan & Co.), which has since offered corresponding substitutes. Javanol, Okoumal, Ebanol, and indeed Norlimbanol are fragrance components that nowadays replace or complement sandalwood in most perfumes labeled as 'sandalwood.' Interestingly, these individual molecules cannot collectively imitate the scent of sandalwood but rather embody individual aspects of it: spicy, milky, or woody-creamy, etc.

Dry Wood is a perfume that has chosen such an artificial fragrance component as its guiding motif, namely Norlimbanol. I would assert that there is a good 10% Norlimbanol in the perfume concentrate, which is quite a lot. Of course, I cannot prove this. I have a small vial of it here, and when I sniff it or rub a drop of the thick liquid on my wrist, it is exactly the final phase of Dry Wood. Spicy, woody, green, somewhat indolic, faintly reminiscent of laurel, with a sparkling acidity, similar to Vetiveryl Acetate in certain perfumes (Sycomore, Encre noire), but still different, somehow more substantial. Apicius praised Ramon Monegal in his comment for the transparency in the fragrance specifications. I wholeheartedly share this view; I believe that if such brilliant (art) molecules are available, one should also stand by them. The mostly positive voices here seem to agree with Monegal for his daring. I find Dry Wood to be a true alternative to Terre d’Hermès or other zesty-spicy vetiver scents, especially in summer.
In this, DW is not just Norlimbanol, which alone would probably soon bore its wearer. The citron is a no less brilliant addition to this fragrance. And this is by no means an ordinary lemon, but one of the variety that grows on the Italian Amalfi Coast. Heavy, thick-skinned fruits that are often processed into candied lemon peel (citron). Another specialty of the Campania region is a liqueur made from the peels of the local lemons, Limoncello. Such a liqueur-like, creamy lemon can be found in DW, but without sacrificing the inherent acidity that keeps the whole pleasantly zesty and bitter, which corresponds well with the inherent 'acidity' of Norlimbanol, or rather transitions seamlessly into it.
The other ingredients, bay leaf, pepper, and mint, are, in my opinion, just nice accompaniments that do not shake the radiant duo of lemon/Norlimbanol much. The composition feels seamless, and I find Apicius's comparison to a robust red wine very apt (though I would rather say white wine); it is a creation that has not been bent to mass taste but has preserved its edges and corners, its bitterness, and a bit of astringency. Indeed, beauty that arises in the eye or on the tongue (or in our case: in the nose) of the beholder. Another term for this would be 'terroir,' meaning not interchangeable mass stuff, but a product with soul and recognizability.

A surprisingly simple but not uniform affair, this Dry Wood. Chapeau, Señor Monegal!

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