Oud Cologne
Bortnikoff (2021)

A nice enough composition with an effervescent opening; effervescent to the point of bringing to mind orange soda/Fanta. That's all my (admittedly plebeian) nose can detect, along with some spiced florals about an hour in, zero oud. Wears very close to the skin. This was fun though ultimately not worth the price.

Something about this one immediately reminded me of Amber Cologne from the same house, which I strongly dislike. I equally disliked this one and scrubbed it. I think the cologne line from this house simply isn't for me.

Oud Cologne by Bortnikoff (2021) isn't worlds apart from their Muak Cologne (2019), in that it presents a mostly citrus-forward concoction meant to wear light but satisfying. Major differences come from the choice of base material here, being a light sliver of oud rather than the deer musk, and the amping up from eau de parfum concentration to extrait de parfum. I likw Oud Cologne but there is just so little different about it compared to Musk Cologne that I feel as though I have little to say about it, although that doesn't speak negatively of the experience in any way. This is, without a doubt, the DNA of Musk Cologne transferred over to a base containing a small quotient of oud, and the perfumer calls it an easy-wearing oriental fougère, but I'm not getting much of that myself. $250 for 50ml of extrait may just be a lifetime supply for collectors with larger wardrobes that never visit the same fragrance more than a handful of times in a year, but for those looking to get something to daily drive, this is not an economical "cologne" by any means, and potentially irreplaceable because it's artisanal.

The opening has a very familiar rounded orange and bergamot opening made a bit sweeter and thicker with pink pepper, grapefruit, and juniper. The latter isn't dosed high and therefore not medicinal, but it's the added sharpness that keeps Oud Cologne from being too sweet in the beginning. Geranium and nutmeg come next, although I don't get much of the claimed rose in the note pyramid. Maybe the geranium is where Bortnikiff gets off calling this a fougère, but I'm not feeling it. Still, what's here is very good, a bit metallic, a bit sweet, and a bit woody into the base. The benzoin and oud bring the oriental facets, being creamy and a bit more medicincal joining the juniper up top, while tonka and ambergris add a mineralic hay-like muskiness that finishes off with aromatic pine and vetiver. The sweetness of the citruses continue to steal the show though, which is a similar trick to what Musk Cologne did, belying the star of said show to make the fragrance more about the top and mid than the base. Wear time is over 10 hours, but projection is close as expected. I find Oud Cologne too sweet to be fresh like a typical cologne in high heat, but you could most certainly pull this off year-round otherwise.

Collectors of Bortnikoff or artisanal all-natural and handmade micro-batch fragrances like this don't need convining from me of the scent's value and worthiness, as you've already been converted. Everyone else looking to get their foot in the door with this brand is better looking into Musk Cologne, which is almost $100 cheaper, and does pretty much the same thing. If you have objections to animal musk, Oud Cologne may be a more expensive but acceptible alternative as it does strive to be so close in tone (despite what the marketing blurb says), although this is the first time I've ever not been completely bowled over or smitten by a Bortnikoff so I feel unintentionally ambivalent recommending it. Still, this is a good fragrance, made from "the good stuff" and doesn't fall completely apart or macerate into "brown smell oblivion" like some other artisanals I've sampled do, so Oud Cologne is another example of using ingredients and methods of the past with modern artistry to make something noteworthy for the enthusiasts who've moved beyond shopping at the perfume counters with "the rest of us". If you have the money to bite, you could do far worse than this. Thumbs up