I have purposely left Exclusive Oud for last, after reviewing
Wood Noir and
Ambré Noble, which are all part of the "Exclusive Accords" collection, because right off the bat, I happen to dislike it very first smell on a paper strip. But I must be mistaken since right now, on my skin, I happen to love it. And yeah, I picked up another oud fragrance, and I don't regret the purchase. Exclusive Oud is another secure entry that is mainly ideal for colder weather, much like Wood Noir and Ambré Noble, but this one is more suitable for nights out.
It starts overwhelmingly bitter, rubbery, and bordering on medicinal. A subtle iodine smell mixed with slight traces of peaty aroma hit you first. It is the "Water of Life," the medicinal, rubbery, and smoky flavours remind me of the characteristic smell and taste of the single malt peated Scotch whiskies from the Islay region. The most richly, flavoured, and smokey whiskies such as Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig, to mention just a few.
That is only the upfront notes, unfortunately, and fade away miserably so quickly. Underneath the bitter beginnings is a deeply saffron aroma with just the slightest hints of sweet floral notes on the edge. The smell of saffron is distinctive, lasting, musky, striking, floral, and honeyed. More, it has a bitter taste and a strong, sharp, penetrating smell. This scent is like bad medicine, bad medicine is what I need, wow! So dark, earthy, spicy, leathery, wealthy, black syrup for naughty souls!!!
As the fragrance develops, instead of brash and animalic, it becomes smooth and seductive. I know, and so you do that, the crowd compares this one to Armani Privé Oud Royal. I can neither confirm nor deny such a similarity since I have never smelt it. Still, to me, the excellent blend of agarwood, patchouli, and leather makes the dry down very close to YSL M7, the first and beloved oud fragrance I added to my collection long ago. Aside from the synthetic Oud -they nearly all are now, but some are done better than others- this is an impressive effort for a low cost from Zara.
The incense, which I bet is in there, lends a mild smoky and leathery vibe to the composition. There is not much transition in the fragrance as it wears on the skin. The cedar is more prominent during the dry down as the Oud remains, and the incense subsides. The oud-cedar base is soft and sensual. The cinnamon is there but not overdone in any way, similarly with the patchouli, and the right amount of leather, strongly noticeable on me, combines with the Oud and cedar to give this fragrance a much more expensive smell than it has any right.
Of the listed notes, I get mainly Oud with a hint of cinnamon and some generous dose of saffron. Although it's not a listed note, I get a strong incense vibe together with the Oud, resulting in dark leather, and while both the Oud and patchouli have their dirty sides, they're not so dirty here as to limit the sophistication of the fragrance. Listen, there is no, and I do not get any rose in this dark gem.
Longevity is well above average, particularly on clothing where it remained for a couple of days. Sillage is moderate, notwithstanding the dark and opulent notes. Exclusive Oud is an autumn/winter scent, not one for warm days.
I'm basing mmy review and experience on a bottle I've owned since 2016.
- Elysium
Oud
Cinnamon
Leather
Saffron
Cedar
Patchouli
Elysium
Simo975g
Giesta40
Yatagan
Schücha
DaveGahan101
MrWhite
EaudeAnni
KC2503
Hermit
