Ramon Monegal Soul of Oud Review (Ramon Monegal) +Djinn of Smoke Draw

October 13, 2020October 13, 2020

Ramon Monegal, courtesy of Ramon Monegal

Ramon Monegal Soul of Oud is one of four oud-centric fragrances in the Don’t Touch My Ouds Collection, presented by perfumer and creative director Ramon Monegal. I have yet to try the other three perfumes, Oud on Fire, Ocean Oud or the latest Alhambra Oud, but from my near mystical experience with the ethereal Soul of Oud I am eager to discover what further insights and interpretations the perfumer has to offer concerning this ancient and most precious of perfume materials.

Cultivated aloes/agar wood. Photo via Wikipedia ©

In the past few years there seems to have been what could be characterized as a backlash against oud and oud themed fragrances. I have heard from a few perfume aficionados that overexposure to oud has become just “too much of a good thing”. For my part I firmly subscribe to the advice of the 18^th century mystic and teacher Murad Shami “There are as many ways as there are hearts of men.” That being said, I can’t help but believe that those who have disavowed oud, instead of having too much, have not had enough exposure to the versatility of these precious oils. In my experience each well crafted natural oud oil, distilled from the protective resins in the heartwood (the Agarwood) of various species of wild and cultivated Aquilaria trees, has its own distinctive scent signature and a profile that very often changes, like a finished perfume, as the fragrance develops on skin and clothing. The type of oud familiar to most is probably the pungent classic Assam or Hindi that has been soaked for long periods of time before distillation, often resulting in a musky, funky, animalic oil that frequently deserves the “barnyard” descriptor. Then there are the Cambodian and Thai oud distillations, oils that treat us to the scents of berries, lilacs, roses and other flowers, often wafting ambers, creamy vanillas, chocolate and spice in the dry down. I also enjoy the grassy, floral, herbaceous fresh oud distillations from Borneo and Indonesia and the complex sugary citrus scents from China and Bhutan.

The fragrance of an individual oud depends not only on the species of Agarwood, the terroir and country of origin, but also on the methods and equipment used in distillation. With all of this in mind, it is fair to ask what do these very different scent profiles have in common. What makes them all recognizably oud? Of course it has to do with the trees themselves, the resinous, powerful woody elements, the varying degrees of phenolic effects and the slightly burnt and roasted aromas, olfactory by-products of the decay and oxidation of cellulose and lignin. In Soul Of Oud, Ramon Monegal explores the essential elements of Oud, creating, in the process, a rarefied, mysterious and original take on the legendary “Wood of the Gods”.

The Fisherman and the Genie by Maxfield Parrish, 1905/09.

Ramon Monegal Soul of Oud opens discarnate and incorporeal, powerful, as it should be, but lifted and translucent, more of wraith-like djinn of smoke than a thick woody presence. While using generous doses of Cambodian/Thai oils as well as Assam, the perfumer manages to strip away any heaviness or dense, opaque calorie-laden fatty effects, and instead amplifies the fresh raspberries, the osmanthus (tea olive) and bright rosy characteristics of a fine vintage Cambodi. I must emphasize that from the first breath to the last lingering sigh of fragrance some twenty four hours later, Soul of Oud, while unmistakably woody and slightly phenolic with a light touch of sugary caramel, is never thick or dark.

As the perfume progresses, images of an autumn forest dappled in sunlight, sensations of rooty earth and fragrant crackling leaves come to mind. At the heart, Soul of Oud is infused with the sunny, dry Iberian atmosphere that is evident in so many of Ramon Monegal’s fragrances, this time reflected through a haze of coriander, aromatic nutmeg, chocolate and the ever present wood smoke of birch, cedar, cypriol and of course oud. I find the Soul of Oud to be at once relaxing and invigorating, leaving me, as the it dries down to a veneer of amber, vanilla, oud and musk with a sense of powerful calm. This cerebral, sensual and rarefied sensation, this soul of scent, stays with me long after the perfume itself has vanished.

Notes: Mon Oud, vetiver, birch, cypriol, cedarwood, rose, osmanthus, chocolate, coriander, nutmeg, amber and musk.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Eden Square (Europerfumes) the U.S. Distributor of Ramon Monegal for my cherished bottle of Soul of Oud. My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Eden Square (formerly EuroPerfumes) we have one 50 ml new tester bottle of Ramon Monegal Soul of Oud Extrait de Parfum Spray ($365) for one lucky reader in the USA ONLY. The draw is for registered readers, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible please let us know where you live and what you enjoyed about Gail’s review of Ramon Monegal Soul of Oud. You can also tell us about your favorite Ramon Monegal perfume or if you are tired of oud perfumes. Draw closes 10/16/2020

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