Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
You’re welcome, I could definitely see going with more in a different oil but I love the character of that one so much I just wanted to enhance it.
Miscellany of the day
- Thread starter Mr.P
- Start date
Mr.P
oud<3er
I'm smelling one heck of an interesting patchouly oil today. This is a 15 year aged Sumatran oil that according to the source was distilled from a variety of patchouly (I'm embarrassed to say i have forgotten the details of the name of the variety) that used to be more common but has been abandoned in favor of types that produce a higher quantity of oil with less care in their cultivation. It's not the first time I've heard this… That the perfume industry had pushed the patchouly industry into growing varieties that were ideal for industrial agriculture but in the process they abandoned the varieties with the best aromatic qualities.
In the context of that history, this patchouly is very interesting. Clearly patchouly, but completely distinct from the oils that I've received from more mainstream channels and vintage oils that I have had in my collection for a while.
What is unique about this is it has an aroma that's like some aged high-end ouds - a kind of tangy aged old resin note, very dignified and evocative, a gorgeous counterpoint to the dry aged leafy notes. I have a large collection of excellent patchouly going back 4 decades, this one is a bit of an outlier even relative to the 15 and 30-year-old oils so there is something going on beyond mere aging.
Whenever you encounter an outlier it raises all kinds of questions, and it's taking me some repeated wearing, a burn test, and some side by side comparisons to other vintage oils in my collection to begin to appreciate what I'm smelling. It looks like more information about the chemistry of this will be forthcoming, I am very much hoping to confirm that this is a beautiful rare chemotype of patchouly, a glimpse at what the material may once have been like.
And happy holidays to all of you who celebrate something or other at this time of year! All of us temperate latitude folks have some kind of celebration or another because it's the time of one seasonal extreme or another this far from the equator!
In the context of that history, this patchouly is very interesting. Clearly patchouly, but completely distinct from the oils that I've received from more mainstream channels and vintage oils that I have had in my collection for a while.
What is unique about this is it has an aroma that's like some aged high-end ouds - a kind of tangy aged old resin note, very dignified and evocative, a gorgeous counterpoint to the dry aged leafy notes. I have a large collection of excellent patchouly going back 4 decades, this one is a bit of an outlier even relative to the 15 and 30-year-old oils so there is something going on beyond mere aging.
Whenever you encounter an outlier it raises all kinds of questions, and it's taking me some repeated wearing, a burn test, and some side by side comparisons to other vintage oils in my collection to begin to appreciate what I'm smelling. It looks like more information about the chemistry of this will be forthcoming, I am very much hoping to confirm that this is a beautiful rare chemotype of patchouly, a glimpse at what the material may once have been like.
And happy holidays to all of you who celebrate something or other at this time of year! All of us temperate latitude folks have some kind of celebration or another because it's the time of one seasonal extreme or another this far from the equator!
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Mr.P
oud<3er
here are some unusual oils, on the left is this one unusual blue lotus distilled by Jack Chaitman. This one had a bunch of buzz in online discussions at one point, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention, I'm not really connoisseur of the lotus extracts. You'll notice on the label it's called an emanation, this is produced by a two stage process that includes distillation, I've made oils of this type from different materials, specifically jasmine - it produces very ethereal top note oriented oils compared to absolutes.
This is an unusual floral, very musky and sweet, has a peculiar type of waxiness, and a rich pungency that brings rhododendron leaf oils to mind. The other oil is a rosewood, something of a rarity these days due to over harvesting of that resource in the past. Basically a rich linalool bouquet like ho wood, coriander or freesia. These both smell like fine specimens to me - I would love to have a large bottle of the rose wood.
This is an unusual floral, very musky and sweet, has a peculiar type of waxiness, and a rich pungency that brings rhododendron leaf oils to mind. The other oil is a rosewood, something of a rarity these days due to over harvesting of that resource in the past. Basically a rich linalool bouquet like ho wood, coriander or freesia. These both smell like fine specimens to me - I would love to have a large bottle of the rose wood.
Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
Here’s something that might be of interest to most of us: displays, boxes, containers and trays specifically made for oils. The business is called Aroma Tools. They have bottles but looks like only Boston round, but in amber, green or blue glass. Also sample vials in small numbers rather than bulk. They also sell a bottle filling system. Basically a little rack with small funnels in the top that holds bottles securely for filling more than one at a time.
Mr.P
oud<3er
Comparing patchouly oils, trying to better understand / evaluate an unusual batch that came my way. i've also been reading a little bit about patchouly production, learning a few things… This oil is unusual which raises all kinds of questions, and this is why I am trying to give it a really careful once over here. It has very interesting resinous qualities with some of that "old resin" note like you get in old malay and maroke ouds - Km super ateeq / maroke '82 vibes. It's surprising to smell this in a patchouli oil and almost smells like a combination of aromas from aged Cypress, pine, Atlas cedar and patchouli.
According to the supplier, this oil has an unusual story, coming from a high elevation farm, and is a variety of patchouli known as "sidikalang" which is one of three varieties grown in Aceh province. According to one article, even though Aceh is known to produce excellent oil for the most part it comes from one of the other varieties using different cultivation methods in the low lands, and it produces an oil with lower patchouly alcohol and a less desirable aroma.
So the hope is that the unusual aroma here is due its age, unusual origin and the sub type of the plant that it is was distilled from, and not due to the addition of some kind of resin or contaminant. I am studying it along with some other vintage oils just to see if I can find hints of that same aged resin quality in any other oils in my stash.
If I wanted to simulate this I would mix a few drops of aged boswellia serrata co2 or maybe some aged Cypress oil base fractions with a larger volume of patchouli.
According to the supplier, this oil has an unusual story, coming from a high elevation farm, and is a variety of patchouli known as "sidikalang" which is one of three varieties grown in Aceh province. According to one article, even though Aceh is known to produce excellent oil for the most part it comes from one of the other varieties using different cultivation methods in the low lands, and it produces an oil with lower patchouly alcohol and a less desirable aroma.
So the hope is that the unusual aroma here is due its age, unusual origin and the sub type of the plant that it is was distilled from, and not due to the addition of some kind of resin or contaminant. I am studying it along with some other vintage oils just to see if I can find hints of that same aged resin quality in any other oils in my stash.
If I wanted to simulate this I would mix a few drops of aged boswellia serrata co2 or maybe some aged Cypress oil base fractions with a larger volume of patchouli.
Glandestine
Oud Fan
I would recommend trying some Ashka (Commiphora Ornifolia) or Kua myrrh !
Mr.P
oud<3er
Some of these materials when they are concentrated form an oil, others form a paste or grease, and some like this split into two different phases, a waxy phase and a more oily one. The waxy materials are often water soluble, strangely enough. When I'm done with this I'm going to have a pale semi hard wax and a brown oily liquid with a bit of alcohol in it to keep it fluid.
Because the wax and the oil congealed together on the sides of the flask, I was forced to redissolve the oil in a little bit of 200 proof of alcohol instead of trying to recover it directly - there was no way I was going to be able to get it out without using the alcohol rinse. So ironically, after removing all the alcohol in the rotary evaporator, I'm now using alcohol to recover the aroma. I could've stopped earlier in the process and saved myself having to do this last step but I was curious to see what it would look like when fully concentrated.
MaxFromHolland
True Ouddict
I always wonder how people manage to get a concentrate out of such a flask..
Glad to read that, with the extra steps you had to take with this material, the precious aroma is still present in the final product.
Glad to read that, with the extra steps you had to take with this material, the precious aroma is still present in the final product.
Mr.P
oud<3er
Yeah the alcohol washing is pretty concentrated and has an excellent scent. It's interesting that the waxes often won't re-dissolve in alcohol once they have precipitated. Hot water ends up being the best thing to remove them from the inside of the flask. It's like the properties change once some threshold of concentration is reached. Maybe some kind of polymerization process. I am referring to them as waxes but I really don't know what they are they are just hard residues that don't dissolve easily
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
Would you mind if I add this website to the thread I've started that makes available these types of things? Or you can if you like?
Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
Absolutely. I wish I’d posted a photo to get more eyes on it. Those wooden storage boxes at those prices!
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
There's some good stuff that's for sure.
Mr.P
oud<3er
that's quite a collection there, very nice!
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
I know right? Check this bottle holder/display out. I might get one.
Wooden Geometric 15 ml Display Riser (Holds 5 Vials)
A natural wood display for essential oils that doubles as home decor. Holds 15 ml essential oil vials. Separate compartments to keep bottles organized. Ideal for traveling, gifts, or prizes. Details This mini geometric riser is a decorative way to display 5 essential oil vials. The single...
Mr.P
oud<3er
Working on a custom order for somebody, pretty excited about that because you never know what someone's going to ask for, and this guy basically wrote me the perfect fragrance brief.
Among other things I need some vetiver, so I was going through my collection. Haitian vetiver is so delicious- I'm a certain level it's my preferred region. But this oil on the right in the photograph is very interesting it's a carbon dioxide extract of the wild vetiver, the same seed-reproducing kind that's extracted to make ruh khus (pretty much every other type of vetiver is grown in big mono culture crops, all clones or divisions, the wild Indian is the only kind that still reproduce by seed). Very interesting to have this type but extracted the heat. The connection to ruh khus is clear, this is beautiful stuff. Completely devoid of any metallic notes, very robust and earthy.
![[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day](https://www.ouddict.com/attachments/img_4501-webp.51987/ "[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day")
Among other things I need some vetiver, so I was going through my collection. Haitian vetiver is so delicious- I'm a certain level it's my preferred region. But this oil on the right in the photograph is very interesting it's a carbon dioxide extract of the wild vetiver, the same seed-reproducing kind that's extracted to make ruh khus (pretty much every other type of vetiver is grown in big mono culture crops, all clones or divisions, the wild Indian is the only kind that still reproduce by seed). Very interesting to have this type but extracted the heat. The connection to ruh khus is clear, this is beautiful stuff. Completely devoid of any metallic notes, very robust and earthy.
Simla House
True Ouddict
What's your take on vetiver from Africa? I had some I loved, and now have found some from Kenya I'm tempted by.
Joe
Resident Artisan
Okay, @Mr P, our organs look similiar: White Lotus, and Eden’s, and Perfume Supply House?!
Mr.P
oud<3er
I have never encountered or smelled African vetiver!
