I had originally meant to include White Aoud in yesterday’s review of Black Aoud, but ran out of time. Today’s post is thus something of a postscript, and if you aren’t already familiar with Montale’s oudh line, you might want to start by reading the Black Aoud review. White Aoud features notes of rose, saffron, oudh, cardamom, jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood, precious wood, amber, vetiver, vanilla and labdanum.

White Aoud starts out sweet. It probably only counts as very sweet in comparison to the bone-dry Black Aoud, but still, the sweetness masks most of the medicinal notes in the opening: White Aoud doesn’t scream “agarwood!” to the same degree as Black Aoud. There is the same rose and wood, and a touch of Black Aoud’s leather, but in White Aoud the result is creamier and paler, and muted by a light dusting of powder. It feels like a spicy floral underscored by dark woods rather than the other way around, and the vanilla in the dry down gives it something of a comfort scent feel. Between Black Aoud, White Aoud and Aoud Roses Petals, White Aoud is the one I would wear to tea — it has none of Black Aoud’s raw edge, and while all the Aoud scents feel unisex, White Aoud is a bit more feminine…

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