Les Absolus d'Annick Goutal : 1001 Ouds
Goutal (2015)

The olfactory journey begins with a blast of black pepper; a fairly strong one initially then smoothes soon afterwards.

A bit of papyrus with a note of myrrh incense follows on, but this is all overtaken by the oud impression that is promised by the name of this creation. It is quite a smooth oud, in the brighter side of the spectrum, and it lacks the harshness and screechiness that characterises many of the contemporary oud impressions.

Otherwise there is predictability galore: yes, the customary rose is there too; a rather nonspecific rose as a sidekick to the oud. Yes, the well-trodden path of a woodsy base - again quite hard to define further. The weak whiffs of birch I get are more perfunctory than making a notable contribution to the whole.

I get moderate sillage,excellent projection and an impressive thirteen hours of longevity on my skin.

Yes, another oud-rose this wintery scent is indeed, but is is less intrusive and in-your-face than most of its contemporaries. The drawbacks are the generic and rather synthetic nature of its ingredients - there is, of course, no real oud in this blend. 2.75/5

Fresh ground black pepper and papery papyrus to start. Black myrrh, with an incense vibe. Smooth but light "oud". Black-colored rose. Buzzy woods.

As it settles there is a hint of sweetness, like amber. The woodiness settles, lies beneath the surface. It is gentle. The sweetness increases - it's myrrh and rose, I'm guessing, that creates this accord of sweet. Still, the wood lies beneath hours later. A great wintery, unisex fragrance. One of the nicer Goutals I've tried. It's not complicated. It is easy to wear. But no, not a true "oud" perfume by any means.

A refreshing take on oud.
The menthol (papyrus) note blends well with the smoky/oud note.