Alexandria Orientale XerJoff 2018

Oud is the ingredient that got me into the world of fragrances in the first place, with Tom Ford Oud Wood (yes, there is probably little or no oud in it ;) ) I became interested in fragrances.
Fragrances that not everyone has or wears (yes, everyone has worn it, but I didn't know that at the time).
I quickly realized that this ingredient is very expensive, very hard to get, but also very special.
Then I smelled Xerjoff fragrances for the first time from a sample set of the Oud Stars range and I have to admit it was very special, I had never smelled anything like it before, let alone even heard of Xerjoff. However, the price at the time was what put me off buying a Fars or Alexandria II.
"That much money for a fragrance?"
That was my thought, but this statement was revised comparably quickly and the first niche fragrances found their home in my collection.
However, I avoided Xerjoff for a long time, I don't know why, perhaps because my brother then bought Accento and Alexandria II and I simply wanted to wear something else.
But then came the moment when I heard about Orientale for the first time..
It was supposed to be more animalistic, more oriental than its brothers, so it was actually exactly what I wanted.
Some time later, I had the opportunity to buy an Orientale for a good price, so he moved in.

Well, what can I say?
He is exactly what I was promised, more animalistic, more oriental, a little harder than his brothers at the beginning.
Nevertheless, it has this unique Xerjoff DNA, noble, refined, projecting, long-lasting, simply to the point Moreover, it does not lose the typical Alexandria DNA, it is its darker, more dangerous, initially cowshed-working brother.
Lasting power and sillage are perfect, definitely a statement fragrance.
We don't need to talk about the packaging, several boxes, one made of leather, inside the beautiful bottle wrapped in tissue paper - that's top drawer, no question about it.

As for the oud in this fragrance, I have to say that since I have now reached Areej le Doré and Ensar, it is a more tolerable, more western oud, slightly animalic (even if Ensar or ALD are not necessarily animalic), so quite different from a more floral OSM from MFK, for example, but perfect in this composition.

In terms of price, I think it's already high, but for a fragrance for special occasions, you're happy to pay more and you wear it correspondingly less often, so it's still justifiable.

So a real recommendation to buy for anyone who might want to delve further into the ingredient oud, or perhaps would like to delve a little deeper into the subject of animalics, or simply for those who want to enjoy what I consider to be the most beautiful eastern western oud creation from an absolute top distributor to date.

Have fun with it!