Atlantic Ambergris II
Areej le Doré (2021)

At this admittedly early point in my Areej explorations, I'd expect a faceful of oud from anything in the house. Instead, Atlantic Ambergris 2 is not only oud-free, but also devoid of the other heavy animalics—castoreum, civet, deer musk—for which ALD seems to be known. Those elements might have run roughshod over the subtle, complex, airy-briny ambergris, reducing it to more of a supporting role. In AA2, Russian Adam has chosen to blend it with an imaginative mix of tropical florals, spices, resins, and orris (amongst other things), resulting in a delicate and special synthesis—more than the sum of its parts, without obscuring any of them. The light touch stands in marked contrast to some of ALD's swaggering (though sophisticated) ouds, demonstrating considerable range on Russian Adam's part. Fine stuff.