Mukhallat Al Sheyokh by Arabian Oud

Stunning.....but confusion reigns !

Arabian Oud has fast become a favorite source to get my Oud fix. There is, however, a dearth of information regarding these fragrances and what is available is immensely confusing. Shabby for a prestige house IMHO.

This Mukhallat is a case in point. Their UK website lists the notes as follows :

Top : Egyptian Jasmine
Heart : Bulgarian Rose, Vanilla
Base : White Oud, Plant Amber

On their Middle Eastern site (assuming it's the main site)

their notes are listed as :

Top : Galbanum, Shepherd's Needle, Lemon
Heart : Clove, Cinnamon, Lavender, Rose, Jasmine
Base : Vanilla, Vetiver, Musk, Amber, Cedar, Patchouli, Sandal

These sound like 2 different fragrances, albeit with similarities. There is also discrepancy regarding the name. The packaging I have lists it as "SHIOUKH", while the U.K. site spells it "SHIYOUKH". To complicate it further, the main site deciphers it as "SHEYOKH". Tres bizarre, non?

It's a case of " a rose by any other name would smell as sweet", because upon application, an immensely deep and beautiful rose starts to bloom. I'm going by what's listed on my bottle and it continues to blossom for hours. It's a phenomenal rendition of the note. I don't experience much in the way of lemon apart from a short lived freshness.

Shepherd's Needle is a composite flower and since I've never heard of it, I'm uncertain how it's suppose to smell. There is definitely oud here, albeit a light version and I suppose that's how "White Oud" materializes. A touch of spice leads to an immensely pleasing drydown consisting of Amber, Cedar and a lovely Sandalwood that smells like the real thing.

A caramel-like Van-Amber plays an important role, but the star of this fragrance is undoubtedly the exquisite rose that is majestically Arabic and glorious.

Barring all the confusion, Mukhallat Al Shioukh easily falls into my top 5, all time favorite fragrances. It is truly outstanding in its genre.