Attar/Mukhallat of the Day

[Sproaty]

Oh man it’s good times in the mrp household let me tell you. Mesoud… you make crazy stuff you are the olfactory alchemist. That castoreum is CRAZY. Did not expect it to be that interesting and complex. Wtf. This seems so incredibly useful as an ingredient!

First, there’s this complex phenolic, smoky backdrop, musky… some kind of wild willow / salicylate note that does not smell at all literary like wintergreen yet clearly in some kind of related birch/ birch tar dark smoky resinous sense. Smoky isn’t quite right, but isn’t wrong either and this stuff is reminiscent of fermented oud in terms of complex Funk. I suspect the fermentation happened in the castoreum sac itself (as is the case with musk) but that’s just a guess. Consistency is a thick dark sticky liquid with some granularity. Clings to the walls of the bottle. 🙂

I had a castoreum spray by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo (took me about 4 years to finish off a ~25ml!) and I loved using it as a base before spraying another scent on top, really added extra depth and nuance to it. Mehmet's is great too

I've just sprayed on Ghalia #1 by Yusa Aromatics, which they sent me a few samples of version of a while ago but I never got around to posting my thoughts on it. I've worn all 3 but didn't pay too much attention during the wears so didn't have much to say.
Well, it's kinda late and I'll be heading to bed shortly, but spray it on I did! Can't really smell much. think my sense of smell has been shot again - Saturday evening I came down with a cold, had a runny & blocked nose and ended up sleeping for an hour in the evening, and went to bed feeling a bit "head cold" and woke up sweating like crazy.
Woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty decent except for not having had the best of sleep but I've just realised now my sense of smell's taken a hit 🙁
struggling to pick up on much of this ghalyia which is weird!
I'm wearing a splint on my other hand too as I injured my thumb in a martial arts competition yesterday. I did the same thing last year round, must be connecting really badly with my punches :/ at least it's broken broken this time around

 

[Mr.P]

I thought i was coming down with a cold but i seem to have dodged the bullet here. Sorry to hear about your thumb. You reminded me - I have a vial of the abdesalaam castoreum somewhere. That was a nice one as well.

 

[slater]

wearing two elixir samples-

black hole as part of the smoke series, this is a strange one as the description says, it’s tough to pin down or identify notes. there’s definitely a warmth like the labdanum and vanilla almost honey like quality, but there is a counter current of a really traditional bouquet of flowers on the opening kind of formal and jasmine focused with the amber quality in the background, after an hour or so this floral quality becomes lighter as the basier notes of resins and smoke come to the forefront while still retaining a hint of the floral structure. i like it

also wearing tango fleurie by elixirs apprentice, i really love this. it’s a kind of masculine floral quality to me, it’s quite complex and there are qualities of enfleurage’s being narcotic but also having depth and not at all indolic. it reminds me of a follow up to elixirs bulgare in its strong depth and musky qualities, a really beautiful and dense floral composition, might need to get more of this one

 

[Mr.P]

I’ve been trying to sort out some rose oils recently. At the moment a specimen from Ward Lab, Rosa damascena (Mohammadi) Kashaan Iran 2020

My palate for rose is not super sophisticated so I am struggling a bit. It has a clear bright rose opening - notes are in balance, more akin to Taifi than Bulgarian. I think. Sweaty notes and still notes are nowhere to be found in the top, and the overall impression of the heart / body is well balanced rose akin to good quality Bulgarian or Turkish Otto. Nice tangy and tart vibrant rose notes abound, on the bright and tangy side (as opposed to the heavy geranium side). I prefer the bright and tangy ones myself.

In a nutshell, this smells like a select damascena rose that (at the moment) has an opening more like a taif Otto than a Bulgarian, or Turkish, or ruh gulab and a bright tangy presence without heavy geranium or any berry notes.

 

[Mr.P]

Fuck it. Im on a roll. Back from the DMV and sitting in the lab. Jasmine sambac otto “ruh bela” from wardlab. If this isn’t authentic ruh bela, i don’t know what is. Honestly, I’ve been trying to find something like this for a very long time, and had to smell a lot of sketchy things before encountering this one. This is good stuff. Wardlab clearly has the hook ups

An najwa’s ruh mogra is another rare authentic smelling sambac ruh.

 

[Ahmaoud]

Habzoud's Adghal - Imagine distilling the scent of a trek through a heavily wooded trail just as it gently starts to rain. The scent of the moist ground lays underneath the scent of rain sliding off pine needs and rolling down bark with dried resin, as it rehydrates. As the rain picks up, fallen trees start to emanate their own unique aroma, adding to the woodiness felt in the mid. In the dry down you are met with a musky, sweet grassy green, a lot tamer than the earlier portion of the fragrance but nevertheless interesting.

A splendid blend Habz has masterfully tamed, letting the emerald like green shine through, while preserving a woody, and watery quality. There's an undercurrent in the scent that reminds me of this note in Sultan Al Akhdar. If you like green vapourous scents, but don't wanna been beaten with a wooden trunk, or be confronted with a mouthful of pepper, none of that here, just sweet and musky woodiness!

 

[Mr.P]

At the moment I have a swipe of Rosa alba Bulgarian from wardlab.

I really am a huge fan of Bulgarian Rose oils in general. This one’s especially tangy and has kind of effervescent scintillating pure rosiness that is just what my nose appreciates. Bright, a little tart, a light nearly peppery eglantine/sweet briar note, and the heart is more fresh rosey and tangy than velvety and geranium like. i am really enjoying this rose oil

 

[Mr.P]

Just swiped “Malika” SQ rose oil from Sulaym. I know I shared my thoughts on this before.

I am educating my nose on rose which is a treat… I’ve been fascinated by rose in general from day one, literally. It was someone wearing Rose oil on the bus in the middle eastern neighborhood of Brooklyn and I was in middle school. First thing I ever distilled was rosewater. I’ve never really pursued it in the way that I did Jasmine and sandalwood however - there are only so many expensive hobbies you can sustain as a schoolteacher and I just settled in with Moroccan absolute and Bulgarian Otto once I encountered them.

So it’s nice to have an opportunity this late in the game to deepen my understanding of this material. It is like reading a great book for the first time.

This rose, when considered in light of what I have smelled, definitely has a unique and recognizable presence, and smells like carefully selected oil. It does not smell freshly distilled, there are no still notes and none of the crazy top notes in really fresh Bulgarian steam distilled oil, which is consistent with its age, and it smells like it was aged under ideal conditions - there is no loss of richness or sense of dullness or oxidation. I believe this was topped off and refrigerated and opened recently…? The sparkle of the heart of this rose is unique

The opening is very much rich vibrant middle octave rose. A deeper whiff brings out the higher register airy citrusy tangy rose notes. There is also a certain apple-adjacent sweetness deep in the core of the scent. This aspect of rose has been most prominent in the center of Rosa rugosa flowers I have smelled. It is a chewy almost resinous waxy apple/rose scent - really a nice aspect of the flower.

 

[Loudover]

I just got a sample of this oil Jasmine Malaccensis from An Najwa, powerful Jasmine, musk and Oud. It's a very mature scent, quality of jasmine is very good, musk and/or Oud have a bit of sharpness at the opening. Settled soon enough. Have to still analyse the mid and base notes. When blending is good, notes are hard to pick. May be that was the intention 😉🙂

 

[Ofaruk]

Very own three ingredient fruity floral mix: Cambodian oud, mysore and bulgarian rose. Simple and deep as it sounds.

 

[Mr.P]

Any specific ratios? Or is this a future trade secret? Sounds delicious…

 

[Ofaruk]

No secrets at all sir. Each of these ingredients has wide range of profiles as you already know better than I do. For example some roses are lemony, citrusy while some are greener, herbal or syrupy. I think blending right materials that work well with each other is crucial. My bulgarian rose has smoky and slight nutty undertones which complemented very well with the fruity oud. Sandalwood on the other hand, has a minimal aquatic/ambergris tonality which again helped overall harmony and resonation. I have done numerous blends so far with similar simple ingredients, but this one stands out from the crowd, I am very happy.

 

[Ahmaoud]

Kashi - Tabeer Oud

A Meghalaya Oud and Mysore Sandalwood co-distillation from 2021, many of the older mentions are from that year, when it was quite fresh. Sniffing off the cap, I'd have said Nagaland but without a doubt, clearly from his new gen distillations. It's hard to understand a fragrance such as this, without understanding the same distiller's sandalwoods and ouds. Mysuru Maharaja is a prime example of what Tabeer Ouds can do with Sandalwood, an invigorating, floral crispness surrounds the well known creamy, woody heart. Jalukie is an example of one of his new gen Hindis, greeting the senses with an effervescent and cool mint, while overall reminiscent of a noon sun on a brisk spring day.

Sniffing Kashi you are confronted with two layers super imposed on one another. The top, has that nose tingling coolness you'd expect from the oud, but it's amplifying the top notes of the sandalwood. Meanwhile, just behind that curtain lies the warm undercurrent of the sandalwood heart, but now charged (almost in an electric sense) with the spiciness of the oud. Most else is kinda hard to remember, but something I vividly recall is the scent of white florals in the base. I'm wondering if the creaminess of the sandalwood is creating a palette, for the rather subtle florals I've noticed late into certain new gen Hindis, to blossom upon.

 

[Mr.P]

I applied a light swipe of ward lab Wadi Mahram ta’if rose otto. This is just a quick impression because there’s too many other smells around but really nice fresh bright balanced opening, deeper whiffs up close do not show any shrillness or sourness - just a dive into balanced rosey depths.

I’m just a modifying this a bit - I am really taken by the bright clean sparkle of this rose. It seems to be stearoptene free which just means more good smelling things per cubic centimeter (stearoptene wax is odorless).

I have smelled rose otto with sour notes, sweaty notes, boozy notes, unappealing dull berry/dull raspberry, still notes, muted top notes and others. Most ottos seem have one of these things going on at some level and some of these notes i enjoy. If I get an oil fresh enough to still have light still notes, that makes me happy.

this doesn’t have any of the distracting notes at all. Really just pure focused Rose. I don’t know if this is typical for ta’if rose or not but the other specimen has a similar clarity and appeal.

 

[Mr.P]

A while back, I got a sample of something called “pure Jasmine” from Russian Adam. this is a very nice general purpose Jasmine, and seems to be a balanced blend of grandiflorum and sambac. You can get some pretty interesting variations just by changing the ratios of these two, and this is very pleasant- the sambac adds some freshness and lift to grandiflorum absolute, and breaks up the heavy indole notes that can occur. I believe he said it was a blend of different extractions of each including absolutes and distillates.

This would be well suited as a perfume - fresh and fruity and mysterious and not too skanky

 

[An Najwa]

Enjoying a Tranquil Taif Rose oil gifted to me by a random stranger brother in Madinah.

A strange and beautiful thing happened yesterday,
As I was resting in the Sahn (yard) of Masjid An Nabawi after Asr salah
There was a brother sitting next to me (A saudi)
He casually asked to apply Some attar on me and my father(muslims do this normally as a gesture of love and brotherhood)
I realised this is Taif Rose oil
I complimented the fragrance.

Few moments later he handed me the bottle and said it's a gift
At first I refused(obviously as it's an expensive thing and not easily available)
He then reminded me that Rasūlallāh never refused Fragrance.
Subhanallah

What a strange thing happened

This Taifi is one of the most beautiful I have tried till now. Sweet fruity, lychee, clove, spice, citrus all in one oil!

I was really amazed by his generosity
and thought to share this story with you all.

Indeed a Memorable gift from Al Madinah that I won't forget ever.

 

[Kolalid]

View attachment 32415

Currently enjoying a Tranquil Taif Rose oil gifted to me by a random stranger brother in Madinah.

A strange and beautiful thing happened yesterday,
As I was resting in the Sahn (yard) of Masjid An Nabawi after Asr salah
There was a brother sitting next to me (A saudi)
He casually asked to apply Some attar on me and my father(muslims do this normally as a gesture of love and brotherhood)
I realised this is Taif Rose oil
I complimented the fragrance.

Few moments later he handed me the bottle and said it's a gift
At first I refused(obviously as it's an expensive thing and not easily available)
He then reminded me that Rasūlallāh never refused Fragrance.
Subhanallah

What a strange thing happened

This Taifi is one of the most beautiful I have tried till now. Sweet fruity, lychee, clove, spice, citrus all in one oil!

I was really amazed by his generosity
and thought to share this story with the you all.

Indeed a Memorable gift from Al Madinah that I won't forget ever.

Mashallah, great story. Masjid An Nabawi is a beautiful and majestic place.

 

[Ahmaoud]

View attachment 32415

Currently enjoying a Tranquil Taif Rose oil gifted to me by a random stranger brother in Madinah.

A strange and beautiful thing happened yesterday,
As I was resting in the Sahn (yard) of Masjid An Nabawi after Asr salah
There was a brother sitting next to me (A saudi)
He casually asked to apply Some attar on me and my father(muslims do this normally as a gesture of love and brotherhood)
I realised this is Taif Rose oil
I complimented the fragrance.

Few moments later he handed me the bottle and said it's a gift
At first I refused(obviously as it's an expensive thing and not easily available)
He then reminded me that Rasūlallāh never refused Fragrance.
Subhanallah

What a strange thing happened

This Taifi is one of the most beautiful I have tried till now. Sweet fruity, lychee, clove, spice, citrus all in one oil!

I was really amazed by his generosity
and thought to share this story with the you all.

Indeed a Memorable gift from Al Madinah that I won't forget ever.

What an absolutely incredible story brother An Najwa!

Something very poetic about being gifted fragrance, in the most Fragrant One's illuminated city!

 

[An Najwa]

Mashallah, great story. Masjid An Nabawi is a beautiful and majestic place.

Absolutely!

What an absolutely incredible story brother An Najwa!

Something very poetic about being gifted fragrance, in the most Fragrant One's illuminated city!

Yes. Alhamdulillah!

 

[Mr.P]

View attachment 32415

Enjoying a Tranquil Taif Rose oil gifted to me by a random stranger brother in Madinah.

A strange and beautiful thing happened yesterday,
As I was resting in the Sahn (yard) of Masjid An Nabawi after Asr salah
There was a brother sitting next to me (A saudi)
He casually asked to apply Some attar on me and my father(muslims do this normally as a gesture of love and brotherhood)
I realised this is Taif Rose oil
I complimented the fragrance.

Few moments later he handed me the bottle and said it's a gift
At first I refused(obviously as it's an expensive thing and not easily available)
He then reminded me that Rasūlallāh never refused Fragrance.
Subhanallah

What a strange thing happened

This Taifi is one of the most beautiful I have tried till now. Sweet fruity, lychee, clove, spice, citrus all in one oil!

I was really amazed by his generosity
and thought to share this story with the you all.

Indeed a Memorable gift from Al Madinah that I won't forge

Great story. I have my own thoughts about cosmology and the Nature of Things but I like the idea of a religion that values fragrance. Can i join as a “social member” lol?

Not religious but i taught at Catholic schools for years, because of the flexibility and decent resources compared to local public schools. I was essentially a social member of the religion I guess

I always tried to get the priests to use frankincense or myrrh (which i offered to donate), or aloeswood that I had collected, but they never had any interest.