L'Oudh Tauer Perfumes 2018

This smells like Oud Gotham in spray form. And if you read my review of that one you'll know how I feel about L'Oudh. This stuff is SMOKY. Almost like straight up birch tar with some woody and leathery facets. There are some animalics too, the funky parts of the agarwood and castoreum poking their head out once in a while to join the party, but smoke is the name of the game. Might be useful, like I suggested with Oud Gotham, to pair this with another fragrance to boost its smokiness (especially considering L'Oudh's low sillage, it can easily be overpowered by a layering), because this stuff is practically not possible to wear on its own. For pure sadism, pair Oud Gotham with L'Oudh and clear out any room you walk into.

L'Oudh from Tauer Perfumes.

Hands down my favorite from the house and one of my favorite uses of oud in a more or less commercial offering on the market. The house is a hit or miss for me, but this little fellow hits the spot. To my nose, the perfume is not an oud-centric composition but rather uses the material to pull off an overall accord that feels larger than the sum of its parts. This perfume is dark, bitter, dry, and earthy. There's nothing pretty about it. Zero sweetness. The best way I can describe it is the smell of an old carpet found in a castle ruin right in the middle of a thick, old forest. Seriously now, it does smell like an old carpet. It has this betel leaf-like bitterness, a vivid earthiness from both the oud and the mushroom, and a slightly chewy quality from the resins. The castoreum is brilliantly used to suggest a leather accord, while the cypriol rounds off the composition and completes the "Oud Accord". I dislike cypriol in perfumes when it's poorly blended as I struggle with the ingredient, but here, it doesn't bother me one bit. The fragrance is monolithic and linear. What you get on the first spray is what you're left with for the rest of the day. Usually, I'm not a fan of that as I get bored rather quickly, however, when the smell and the vision the scent portrays are so well placed, as in this case, I love that it doesn't change. I would place this perfume in my "special" category under the "Medieval Perfumes" moniker. Scents that smell old, dark, and ancient. And that's exactly what you'll get with this one.

IG:@memory.of.scents

My current signature, another masterpiece by Andy Tauer, an oud like no others.
I bought a full bottle after trying it from a decant and exploring many of its facets during many days.
At the beginning it is strong, it's true, but it doesn't project too far (which I like: not everyone might like it) and it dries down balsamic and warm, much more wearable and "dryer" than Au Coeur du Desert or other immersive sculptures by the genius of Andy Tauer, even though no less warm.
The first weeks I wished it were even "dryer" on the DD, less "balsamic-ambery", less "sour" (not the right definition, but it's how some reviewers describe a facet of the "Tauerade") but then I started to appreciate more and more its traces on fabrics, and on skin at the end of the day.
Not for everyone but, if you're into this, no other perfume can compare.

Edit: one year later, L'oudh continues to surprise me. I've been learning and experiencing much more expensive and rare natural ouds, which made me enjoy even more Tauer's take. It may not be the best oud, but it's among the best takes on oud. And, according to me, the best creation by the genius of Andy Tauer.
It's not cheap, nonetheless value for money is stellar: I don't know anything that could rival this one.

I sampled this one for the sole purpose of trying real Laotian Oud oil. The scent opens with an aggressive medicinal bandage note that verges on melting plastic. Was not a fan at first, but as it dried down, I got earthier and sweeter notes of fungus (morel), vetiver, and sandalwood. It also smells significantly better on skin, blending with my natural chemistry into something more human and approachable. Glad I tried it, but just not for me.

This perfume has some of the darkest natural oud I’ve ever smelled.

For me, It smells like walking through a very dark forest in the Himalayas while smoking dark oud and wearing a vintage leather jacket that has been splashed with gasoline and has dirt all over it.
Masterpiece, in my opinion.

(This is not your classic Middle Eastern take on oud)
I dislike those very much, so if you’re looking for an oud perfume that’s different and very dark, dirty, and evil, this is all you need.