Brand: Montale
Basis: Original
Concentration: Eau de Parfum
Sex: Unisex
Generally: Divisive the way big tobacco-ouds are: warmly loved or firmly declined
Season(s): Fall, Winter
Wear: Evening
Occasion: Evening, Date Night
Perfumer: Montale does not credit an individual nose for this one, so neither do we
Creation Date: 2020
Ingredients/Ingrédients : Alcohol Denat., Parfum (Fragrance), Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Aqua (Water), Trimethylcyclopentenyl Methylisopentenol, Linalyl Acetate, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Coumarin, Vanillin, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Limonene, Linalool, Beta-Caryophyllene, Citronellol, Pinene, Eugenol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citral, Terpinolene, Terpineol, Geranyl Acetate, Rose Ketones, Alpha-Terpinene, Geraniol, Isoeugenyl Acetate, Camphor, Isoeugenol, Farnesol

Main Accords: Citrus, Sweet, Tobacco, Amber

Notes
Top: Sumac, Citruses, Cumin
Middle: Agarwood (Oud), Orange Blossom, Incense
Base: Tobacco, Tonka Bean, Agarwood (Oud)

The Scent

The opening is not the usual fresh citrus: sumac reads tart and honeyed, sharpened with cumin. From there it turns into sweet pipe tobacco laced with incense and orange blossom, and dries down on tonka with a cherry-almond tint over a mellow, leathery oud that stays in the background. Wearers reach for Pure Havane and Naxos as reference points, and next to its sister-house sibling Mancera Red Tobacco it is the lighter, better-mannered one.

Worth Knowing

Two years after this came out, Clive Christian released Blonde Amber at several times the price, and fragrance communities have compared the two ever since; neither house has ever confirmed a connection, but if that expensive DNA interests you, this is the accessible way to try it. Performance is solid rather than nuclear: wearers report a full working day of longevity with a moderate projection bubble, which by Montale standards counts as polite.

Where It Came From

Released by Montale in June 2020 as part of the house's leathery-oud range.

About Montale

Montale is the Paris house founded by Pierre Montale in 2003, built largely around oud and known for its aluminium bottles, which shield the juice from light and famously feel lighter in the hand than glass.

Hand-decanted from an authentic full-size bottle by Atelier Elemental. Not packaged, filled, or endorsed by Montale. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.