It was probably inevitable that John Varvatos would eventually get into the oud game. This rare oil has been all the rage for the past several years -- Hugo Boss, Versace, Armani, Remy Latour, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Ralph Lauren have all released oud fragrances since 2013 -- and the core Varvatos DNA already lends itself to including oud.
This composition is lovely, very rich and complex. The oud has an almost bitter or sour edge to it, and if they hadn't gotten the balance right, this fragrance would flat out stink. But they've surrounded the oud with some sweet tobacco, leather, and incense, then sprinkled it with a spice mix of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper. Naturally, there's some amber and cedar in the dry-down to give the whole thing a strong base.
And throughout the whole experience, there's the oud, smelling a little out of place and pulling against the mixture of sweetness and spice with its sour, almost sweat-like quality. It's fantastic. (When I sprayed it on a card, about 20 minutes later I kept getting whiffs of the old classic Aramis fragrance, if that helps provide a reference point.)
The bottle (with its shiny plastic gold netting) is ostentatious, and the giant box it comes in is totally unnecessary, but they're going for a certain vibe here so let's just enjoy it.
Like most Varvatos scents, this one isn't a beast in either the projection or longevity department. I can still smell it on myself after about three hours, but it's definitely faded by then and needs reapplication. Aside from that, I love this scent and will wear it frequently in the colder weather.
7/10 stars.
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