New Perfume Review The House of Oud Crop 2017- Event Horizon

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Among the many ingredients which sharply divide perfume lovers, licorice and oud would rank high on that list. I am that contrarian which enjoys both. I like the sharply herbal darkness of licorice. I adore the medicinal tinted ouds; like smelling a bandage on my finger. When these notes are combined in a perfume you might expect an obstreperous off-putting composition; which it might be for some. I found the perfume which does this, The House of Oud Crop 2017, exactly the combination I was looking for.

I became acquainted with The House of Oud last year. Founded by perfumer Andrea Casotti and oud distiller Mohammed Nashi. One of the things they are doing is creating yearly limited editions which feature a specific oud called Crop. The first one Crop 2016 was built around a green Kalimantan oud that was compelling. I was curious to see what Crop 2017 would bring.

Andrea Casotti

This vintage works with a traditional oud full of those medicinal aspects I enjoy. It is not as unique as the oud in Crop 2016. For Crop 2017 it seems as if Sig. Casotti wanted to explore the depth of how dark you could take an oud. Instead of lightening it up he drives it even deeper with licorice.

Crop 2017 does not have a pyramid as much as everything sort of appears. Very early the herbal pure licorice of a throat lozenge is dunked in a glass of absinthe. What this creates is souped-up wormwood accord with the licorice maxed out. Before I get much time to enjoy this the oud rumbles in like a rhino into a china shop lifting the licorice accord up and slamming it down on top of itself. This is where Crop 2017 hovers and if the idea of acerbic herbal boozy bandages makes you go “oooh!” then, like me, you will be in bliss. I enjoyed this so much that I almost was disappointed when the sandalwood began to find its way in. It was so normal I was irritated with its presence.

Crop 2017 has 12-14 hour longevity and moderate sillage.

I am reasonably sure if I asked many oud lovers whether they like Crop 2016 or 2017 most of them would choose 2016. Not me. Crop 2017 is one of those reasons I enjoy niche perfumery. Everything doesn’t have to be made for the masses. Sometimes it can be made for us who want to hang out on the event horizon of licorice and oud.

Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review The House of Oud Wonderly- Snow in the Sahara

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Nature offers up some wonderful contrasts of extremes. None more surprising and ephemeral than snow in the Sahara Desert. It has happened twice in the town known as “The Gateway to the Desert”. Ain Sefra in Algeria. Once in 1979 and again in December of 2016. For the most recent occurance photographer Karim Bouchetata was there to capture it. When you look at the picture below it almost looks like exotic dessert instead of desert. The perfumer behind The House of Oud was inspired to create perfume based on this called Wonderly.

Snow in the Sahara December 2016 (Photo: Karim Bouchetata)

The House of Oud was founded by perfumer Andrea Casotti and Indonesian oud distiller Mohammed Nashi. They released their debut collection in June of 2016. As you might suspect the expertise of M. Nashi in sourcing oud was displayed throughout. Of those initial releases the most intriguing was a limited edition called Crop 2016 featuring a rare green tinted oud from Kalimantan in Borneo. I had never smelled anything like it and Sig. Casotti surrounded it with a “tea in the Sahara” theme which displayed all the uniqueness of the keynote. When I received my sample of Wonderly I was surprised to find a fragrance intent on capturing the dichotomy of snow upon the dunes.

Andrea Casotti

I imagine if I asked many of you to describe a perfume trying to capture the snow and sand combination fruity floral would not be where you might start. When I first tried it on a strip I was initially thinking if this was the best choice to represent the snow. Then I realized the snow in the Sahara is itself an anomaly and a fragrance should look for something anomalous to portray the event.

The fruity top accord is the tart goji berry combined with apricot and almond flower. The accord comes off as a juicy fruity accord with some nutty facets. For Wonderly, Sig. Casotti uses white flowers as his snow; neroli and jasmine primarily. Then in a clever twist a bit of orris is applied underneath to represent the sand beneath the snow. For a long time, it is just the orris pushing against the “snow”; over time a resinous mixture of myrrh, and incense begin to figuratively provide a thawing effect. Sandalwood, vanilla, and the powdery musk Cosmone add the finish as the desert takes its normal place on top.

Wonderly has 8-10 hour longevity and moderate sillage.

I like Wonderly because Sig. Casotti didn’t bring a selection of chilly notes to represent the snow but instead took a different tack. The result is as layered as snow in the Sahara.

Disclosure: this review is based on a sample from The House of Oud.

–Mark Behnke