Elevation Al Shareef Oudh 2023

At the beginning of my Oud journey, I often asked myself, "What is Oud, actually?" "What does it smell like exactly?"
How Oud truly smells remained unanswered for me as long as I only tested fragrances that contained Oud as an additive.
Oud is so much more than just any ingredient in a fragrance.
And I have yet to encounter a fragrance material that is as rich in diverse facets as Oud. It can be perceived in completely different and nuanced ways. This also depends on several factors such as age, origin, and method of distillation.
And so, I got to know more and more facets and expressions of this versatile fragrance material the more pure Oud oils I tested. And the more I learned about it, the more I came to love Oud.

What is special about Elevation is that it uses Oud not just as an additive, but as the almost sole main character alongside some musk and amber. And not just one type of Oud is used, but many, so that as many facets as possible shape the fragrance. And this has been done really well!

We start off very woody, slightly dry, smoky, a bit earthy, spicy, and underscored by a beautiful animalic note that remains in the background.
As it develops, slightly sweet notes and fruity rooibos notes come through. I perceive the musk more and more as the development progresses, and it integrates perfectly into the overall composition. It brings a warm creaminess and soft notes. Additionally, the amber adds spicy notes and lightens the fragrance a bit in interplay with the musk.

The scent is particularly special to me because it showcases so well what Oud can be.
And I find it exciting that Oud alone can sometimes shine even more than when there are hundreds of other fragrance notes included.
Sometimes, less is simply more...