Collection Grands Crus : Oud Wa Misk
Berdoues (2015)

Oud Wa Misk by Berdoues (2015) is part of the Collection Grands Crus, and is perfumed by Sébastien Martin, a far cry from the house's origins under Berdoues family in the mid 19th Century. Within the larger Collection Grand Crus, Oud Wa Misk is part of the Oud Millesime sub-collection, which also contains three others with the "Oud Wa" nomenclature. Oud Wa Misk is more or less "oud and musk", containing those as its key olfactive components. Berdoues was incorporated as an official perfume house in 1902, by Guillaume Berdoues in Toulouse, France. The early fragrances were either perfumed by him or Henri Berdoues; but like a lot of pre-war perfume houses, was sent into obscurity from two world wars and The Great Depression. Of most output, only Violettes de Toulous by Berdous (1936) really survived past the mid-century, and the perfume was the only going concern for the brand until a 21st-century revival. Oud Wa Misk is ostensibly part of that revival; although it, along with many other perfumes on the current Berdoues menu, have nothing to do with the original Berdoues family.

That said, this is rather quite nice if you always wanted a subtle animalic oud with only a hint of rose, patchouli, and saffron. Oud Wa Misk opens with all three of the latter components, also adding in a bit of frankincense and traces of castoreum leather; but what this stuff is really about isn't the phenolic animal-husbandry stables, going more for fur of the bearskin rug kind of thing. I get a tonkin musk reconstruction in here, with bits of that Chanel Antaeus (1981) type of castoreum and beeswax, although only a touch. The tonkin reconstruction sits and dissolves the oud/patchouli/saffron structure into itself, with the rose all but a vestige after the opening 30 minutes. This is a perfume for the long game, so you really need to wait in order to see how this one develops on skin. Animalic but also inviting, cozy, Oud Wa Misk saunters over with a wry smile on the lips, instead of ripping off the shirt or making lewd gestures with tongue between fingers like some things do in this style. I'd stop short of wearing Oud Wa Misk to a fancy restaurant, but I'd not be afraid of using it in public. Performance is long, wearing closer to skin as an eau de parfum, and this is best in cold weather,

Something like this could very easily be in a Serge Lutens collection, as it has that dark and sexy stripe running throughout it, even if it may not go as ambery or spicy as most Lutens things with this particular character do; and that's a compliment towards the Berdoues for avoiding it. The last thing a historic house on the fringes of obscurity (outside France) needs is to be confused as a smell-alike to a big-time niche/luxury market player that is barely a fraction of its age, with exponentially greater recognition; the height of ignominy for Berdoues that would be, after all the brand has seen and survived. Of course, we live in a funny age where designers are becoming the new niche, and luxury brands now fill the spaces niche brands once occupied, so that discontinued designers on the aftermarket cost several times more than this little gem does new, on virtue of the fact nobody is hyping Berdoues on social media. If you want a high-quality, creative mash-up of oud and animal musk that leaves the riding crop in the bedroom instead of the barn, this is for you. Best part of all, is you'll spend a third of what some overpriced woody-amber "oud" mess with a "TF" on it would cost. Thumbs up

Oud appeals to me when blanketed with a supple, moderately powdery musk and incense. Here, the phenolic, "band-aid" qualities of the oud accord are at an amplitude that is pleasant and alluring to my nose, dialed back more than in other mega-oud numbers on the market. Likewise, while there is a suggestion of the animalic, it is a sable, not a wildebeest.

Oud Wa Misk did not make any waves at all when released 2016. A relatively unknown release, it is ripe (no pun intended) for discovery, and should please those who want to dip their toes into the oud and and choose a tastefully composed scent that has a subtle sensuality but an accessibility that is hug-worthy. It's gauzy, sheer, ethereal, with a wonderfully musky embrace. Ahhhh...

This is quite good. It smells, as advertised, like oud and musk, but with a strong leathery character as well.

The oud is quite westernized, smelling more like saffron than actual oud, while animalic musks, both clean and dirty, melt underneath. There's some quinoline in there as well, combining with the saffron and something unidentifiably sweet and green to create a smell similar to Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather, which bridges the gap between the oud on top and the musk on bottom without pulling focus from the oud and musk.

This makes me think of Montale's legendary Aoud Cuir d'Arabie, but only in that Aoud Cuir is so ridiculously, grossly "extra", that Oud Wa Misk is what you'd get if you hired a talented perfumer to come up with a wearable version, still hearty and animalic enough to have perfumery cred, but smoothed out enough to not be openly offensive. Thumbs up!