Silver Oud has built a reputation for being the stinkiest fragrance amongst all of Amouage’s offerings, which is rather brave of them to still produce it considering how mainstream they are becoming. One thing’s for certain, this is a challenging fragrance to wear. Cypriol is the most dominant note to my nose; it’s intensely rich and oily, very dense and a little smoky - almost like gasoline. The intense earthiness of patchouli furthers the darkness provided by the oud, which all in all is given this brutal, unforgiving strength through the inclusion of a slightly fecal castoreum and smoky birch. Despite all this though, there is a gentle sweetness which emerges after being given some time to settle, from the vanilla but also the vanillic facets of the castoreum. There’s so much to unpack with this scent, it’s so complex. I don’t feel disgusted by it, but at the same time I could never see myself wearing it - I can just imagine the kind of negative feedback you’d get from others around you. It’s a fantastic creation, but no one would ever need 100ml of this beast.