Lao Oud by Bortnikoff

Bortnikoff’s Lao Oud is a dense beast, kicking off with a spicy punch from the pepper and Indian Oud right from the first second. That initial spice fades after 30 minutes, but the Oud becomes more animalistic, leaving a distinct ‘spicy cheese’ impression that lingers for two hours. Afterwards, the fragrance drops drastically, clinging to the skin for another three hours while the other notes barely register due to the Oud’s intensity. It’s more of an experience than a wearable perfume, difficult to use in the West. It has quality, but buying a full bottle is excessive and expensive, making it inaccessible, though the discovery set is enough to try this unique experience.

For me, this is the classic example of Oud as blue cheese… a NO for now. I don’t know when I’d want to smell like that for myself or others, perhaps as a conceptual perfume for specific moments. With a 2ml sample and after a thousand attempts to open the cap, I conclude there are times to smell it and try it again, but not to wear it. It’s like a scent I sometimes like and other times don’t, like when you’re hungry and smell a good stew, or just after eating and you hate any food smell. It smells like cheese without being cheese, hard to explain; it also reminds me of the soft Manley ceras I used for painting in Fine Arts, with a touch of dark cacao sometimes. I suppose you have to be an Oud expert to appreciate it; it’s complicated for me to understand something so complex. It’s not a resounding no, as I do sometimes enjoy it and need to return to the sample to smell that complex aroma I don’t quite understand. Bornikoff has gorgeous and top-tier perfumes, but others are confusing and difficult, of indisputable quality. You have to be a knowledgeable connoisseur, smell them, and re-smell them many times to perhaps appreciate or not. Sometimes, seeing similarities, I understand why there are perfumes I can’t stand and others people adore, because every nose is a world. If you decide to buy it, try it carefully and check if you like this type of Oud. I’ll keep this sample in my collection to go back to it when I’m called, and who knows what happens later…