Odin | The Scented Hound

06 Amanu recently won the Fragrance Foundation’s 2012 Fifi “Indie” Fragrance Award. Given such high regard, I had to check this fragrance out. I loved 07 Tanoke, and since this is an award winner, I was sure I was going to like this as well. Hmmmm, not sure what the fuss is all about.

06 Amanu is a light and airy fragrance. It goes on almost a bit salty and then quickly turns floral and lightly sweet. I can smell the blood orange and the jasmine along with a light musk. As time goes on, the musk and amberwood warm 06 Amanu a bit, reducing the original sweetness. This is about as discreet of a fragrance that you can find. It hugs close to the skin and feels very personal, almost bath like in its composition. To me, that means that I could have just emerged from taking a bath with some pretty bath salts and would have smelled the same. 06 Amanu is marketed as unisex, but I do think this leans more feminine. I’m not digging it on me and would have a hard time seeing other men wear this.

For an award winner, I was expecting something more daring. This scent is pretty safe… and not for me.

From the Odin website:

The primitive ambiance of southern Mediterranean peaks combined with the ancient fertility of Anatolian soils brings forth a herbaceous blend of verdant galbanum and raw lentisque. The cortex of Amanu revolves around the woody rusticity of cedarleaf and the heady complexity of jasmine sambac. Rooting textures of amberwood, musk and live moss endow this earthy scent with a lush maturity.

Top: Blood Orange, Green Galbanum, Lentisque
Middle: Aged Cedarleaf, Jasmin Sambac, Magnolia
Bottom: Amberwood, Sheer Musk, Live Moss

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody – aromatic
Classification: Unisex but leans feminine
Expense: $125 for 100ml EDT

When I first put this on, I wasn’t quite sure that I was going to be able to sit at my desk all day and put up with this scent. One of the downside of sampling is that sometimes you put on a scent and you feel trapped wearing it all day. Given that, the first thing you notice is the heavy pepper. Very spicy, and very dry. A very earthy scent. Again, not that it’s bad, it’s just that I tend to lean towards the ambers. However, as the day went on, I found myself lifting my wrist to get a whiff…after about an hour or so, I found myself doing this continuously. The scent mellowed to a very nice and calming smoky and woody scent, with just a tinge of sweetness. Very calming, clean and masculine. I found this to be a very complex and lasting fragrance. This turned out to be a great surprise and I can’t wait until the next time I put this on. I read that this is supposed to represent the “natural aromas of the California landscapes.” I can see that…and I’m ready to go.

From the Odin website:

Amid the wilderness of coastal hinterland comes a woody blend grounded in soaring redwoods and warm musk. The core of Tanoke brings forth the balsamic resin of wet gaiacwood wrapped in smoky incense. Crisp black pepper, spicy ginger and bitter orange hover the surface with invigorating freshness. 07 Tanoke was selected for W Magazine’s “Top 10 Indie Fragrances”.

Top: Spice Ginger, Bitter Orange, Black Pepper
Middle: Gaiacwood, Smoky incense, Nutmeg
Bottom: Redwood, Patchouli, Black Musk