Oud of the Day

[Ahmaoud]

Nice write ups, thanks for sharing your thoughts on there.

I tend to agree about Kyara Ketone as well, which is why I sold mine years ago. The premise of it sounded really quite exciting but in the end it struck me as too one dimensional and almost....generic?

I have some of Silani sultan from the attar store it is more what I had hoped KK would be. It has the fuming, loud, and crystalline structure of what we associated with "the oriscent treatment" AND the depth and body of something like suriranka. Although a bit more aquatic and earty and a touch less floral than suriranka. It is an extremely potent, loud, and long lasting oil. I have noticed that many Sri Lankan oils have this character as a baseline but this distillation style takes it to another level.

Thanks for sharing this comparison, I was thinking about getting a sample of Suriranka but having tried both Silani Sultan and Silani Royale both from TheAttarStore I think I'll pass on it.

I feel like both oils are quite similar but the opening of Silani Royale ... is just something from another planet! Punchy, blue green, almost petrochemical like fumes instantly assault your nose, yet clean, crystalline, and refreshing! Upon application it morphs continuously on my skin, and I totally agree, the longevity and projection on these ouds is in a class of their own. A single dot on my wrist from a glass rod, that barely touched the surface of the oil was enough to experience wafts, hours later! Though within about 3 - 4 hours Silani Royale does transition to the heart of Silani Sultan, the first portion of its scent is really something else, and faint hints can be experienced into the dry down.

My recent obsession's been with TheOudLab's Sirindica, a Silani and Manipur codistillation which has been exceedingly hard to decipher. From the cap it smells one way, and you think you know what you'll be getting, but dab a little, and spread, and something different emerges. Imagine that crystalline Silani profile but now sitting on a resinous base, I keep on wanting to type, fat, dense resinous base, yet the green airiness still comes through, slightly bitter with a tinge of smoke. Green resinous incense smoke, there's not better way to put it. I don't believe the Manipur alters the character of the Silani, if anything it feels fuller (akin to comparing HabzOud's Sultan Al Akhdar to AlShareefOudh's A'meen), perhaps boosting the incense-y qualities. And now my arms are tired from sniffing 😂 until next time!

 

[Tarik]

Treasure Oud - Royal Kala-Naam

 

[Sproaty]

Treasure Oud - Royal Kala-Naam

How's that one? That's going back quite a few years now!

 

[Anwar]

Agar Aura Trang. Sensing some smokiness in the opening. Nice.

 

[Arabiad07]

Qirose by @mesOUD

Lucky to get a sample.

This is a white kinam soaked in rose water.

Similar to Tuba - but instead of Hindi wood.

As expected so smooth. The minty kinam and incense comes through with smooth dark rose. Really great oil. I prefer this to any usual Oud rose attars where usually the rose dominates. This is the way to do it.

It’s a real shame most of the distillation was lost.

Really special.

 

[Sproaty]

Yesterday I wore 2 by Feel Oud - Jardin de Bengal, and Shocking Asia.
With my last purchase last year I was sent a bunch of samples that I've not seen listed on their site - this Shocking Asia is really good! Based on the name I expected a very barn-heavy/fermented scent but it's kinda got Indonesian vibes and is pretty chill. Really good longevity too.
The Bengal oil is also ery good, great value too at $80 for a gram, a very slight barn, earthy. I was thinking it's probably a Sylhet oil and looking at the description, yup! I really like this profile, and gives that awesome classic Hindi-type drydown

Before bed I swiped Tariq 2 by Al Hashimi, a Cambodi/Hindi codistill. The Assam element jumps out strongly at first but now with time the Cambod influence is coming through, adding a reddish hue to that barny, black/brown Hindi profile. It tempers the barn too, giving an almost must-like warmth to the profile (I see musk as a deep red, 'bloody' kinda smell)
I fell asleep not too long after applying and must have wiped most of it off onto my bedsheets and couldn't smell it on my hands upon waking, so not much else to say for that

Today I'm wearing 3 Kings by Mesoud. Still has a weirdness (sharpness) that I was initially attributing to it being a new oil but I guess that's how it is. I quite like it, I'm being more fond of the Merauke profile lately. I've been stuck in the office since I swiped it this morning and haven't gone for a walk yet to give it a better chance outside, I'll be going in about an hour if the weather's dried up a little

 

[mesOUD]

Today I'm wearing 3 Kings by Mesoud. Still has a weirdness (sharpness) that I was initially attributing to it being a new oil but I guess that's how it is. I quite like it, I'm being more fond of the Merauke profile lately. I've been stuck in the office since I swiped it this morning and haven't gone for a walk yet to give it a better chance outside, I'll be going in about an hour if the weather's dried up a little

Yes pls lets know your review after a walk

 

[Mr.P]

I am checking out a small sample of "Papua Muting" from mesoud (2022 ). This is a very distinct smelling oil and quite different from 95% of the oils in my collection which has me thinking I don't have much experience with this species. If mesoud had not told me it was oud oil, I never would've guessed oud.

The opening notes are dry and sort of leather and suede like, also a bit pungent like shoe polish in some way, a little dusty dryness but with a layer that is almost green herbal in quality and reminds me of beta caryophyllene/ copaiba a bit as well. While the scent is quite evident, it has some of the fixative aspects of sandalwood - a scent that is very present but has a lot of space in it somehow. I am pretty sure I have smelled traces of the scent that dominates this in some Hindi oils so there must be some shared molecule there.

Overall I am experiencing it as a pretty linear oil, Also, i smell no indication of soaking or fermentation or anything like that in the aroma.

i'm having a little difficulty teasing out different layers of the scent… seems to fall more in the green and resinous realm than in the sweet-woody/ spicy/ incense/ mulchy realms and minimal shared notes with most of my other oils, however a very long time ago I got a couple of small bottles of an oud oil from a place called "A Little Ol'Factory" out of Texas (I don't think this is connected in any way to eJayb's olefaktory). I've always wondered what these oils were because they smell so distinctive, it seems they are also from the same kind of wood.

UPDATE: the oils I describe actually very much resemble a sample of aetoxylon I received in the mail. Learn something new every day here

The recent purchase of Aetoxylon oil is forcing me to reconsider a handful of oils that I have smelled. Be careful folks

 

[oud.time]

What I’ve been wearing lately:

AlHindOud - vintage Viet 2012

I like this oil a lot and have been mostly wearing it. It’s different from all my other Nha trang oils. Darker , but still sweet and fruity. Very oudy!

Habzoud - raja hijau
This is very unique. And a rare species as well! It’s sweet but not fruity. Floral. Reminds me of Borneo at times. Very nice .

Habzoud - xiangshui
Reminds me of one of the first oils I tried. An Indonesian from oudimentary I believe. This is way higher quality though. The aged leather note is nice.

 

[Ibn Abdillah]

Merauke Wild 2023 - @mesOUD

Opens with the scent of earth and dry leaves, as if the oil tells you where it comes from.
Then the oil makes a transition that reminds me of the smell of suede.
After a while i smell a clear breeze, what is reminiscent of mint, only without the typical mint smell and sharpness.
The dry down is sweet and a bit resinous, and occasionally seems to be mixed with the clear breeze that comes an goes.

From the opening till the drydown this oudh continue to surprise me, because of the various contrasts it possesses.

In my notes, I discovered that I had accidentally mixed up the names of Malinau and Merauke, the top description was intended as a description for Malinau.
It's been a while, but I thought I should point this out.

 

[Zazu]

A dot of Habzoud - Al Hareer with a swipe of Habzoud’s rose oil.
This is actually a very nice wearable combo! (I didn’t have time to fully study this combo, apologies!)

 

[Sproaty]

Yes pls lets know your review after a walk

I didn't get to go, it rained all day yesterday 🙁
I'm wearing Tuba today (by Mesoud) - fantastic Hindi oil distilled in zamza rosewater. Really fantastic profile, super deep dark red

 

[YusaAromatics]

Leyte Kyoryoku today and tonight i will go for Nha Trang KO 🤔

 

[Dr B1414]

Recently wore:

Jinkoh Store Grand Emperor Kedah 1975 Old, ancient smelling, almost damp at times, with slight sourness and bandaid-like facets, as well as a prominent "red wine accord". It's a clean and vivid oil, with no fermentation or muskiness, it has a clear profile but is not a "pretty oil". It is an oddball that I came to appreciate and crave. I can't explain it. Maybe because of how unique it smells. The "Red Wine" smell is there for me and I can't undo it. If I inhale close and deep, I get the honey-like, resinous sweetness but overall it is overshadowed by the other facets. I need this oil for reference. It is more of an olfactory exercise than a joyful ride like the Emperor of Kedah is.

Oriscent Kelantan Now that my sample ran out I think I'll add this oil to my wishlist. It got better for me with subsequent wear. Unlike most Oriscents and Malaysian oils, I've tried. The opening smells familiar but after that, it's its own thing. It gets better as time passes by. Dark, pitch black, and sweet oud oil. The hallmark of this oil is a prominent incense accord that grows stronger with time. Vaporous fumes that have a blue-purple hue. No florals here. A slight hint of green runs through its center. I can't place that note. It feels like having your head inside a gas chamber with incense fuming your face. Sweet and vaporous dark fumes. Strong projector and long-lasting. I still believe it is overpriced but it's rather unique and enjoyable. Out of the few samples I tried from the more recent oils like Abu Yog, Dokusan, and the well-known Kyara Ketone, it is my favorite.

Oriscent Guallam Kilam this oil is a forever joy for me. Well-priced, very complex, full Vietnamese flavor and more, powdery muskiness, vanilla, cherry flavored tobacco, dusty old-smelling wood, and light smoke. Clean, pristine, no off-putting notes, no fruitiness. The cherry tobacco facet feels more like an illusion than an actual tangible facet of the oil. Unique and thoroughly enjoyable.

Oriscent Royal Guallam higher-end oil than the previous but not as "fun". Super clear profile, typical Oriscent opening followed by a bitter-green chord and a creamy woodiness topped with golden honey. So far it doesn't wow me but after about an hour there is this otherworldly "floracy" about it that I never smelled with any other Vietnamese oud oil. It smells like blossoms, I'd say cherry blossoms, although these have no smell (or are very faint and indiscernible). I say cherries because I get a cherry-like facet like in the Guallam Kilam but much softer. Not entirely fruity, nor entirely floral. Also, more like an illusion or "phantom accord" but undeniably there as I have tried the oil several times by now just to make sure I'm not imagining this. It is peculiar and so well placed, soothing, calming. Like watching the cherry blossom trees and catching this aroma in the breeze. A beautiful oil.

 

[Mr.P]

I'm enjoying a tiny swipe of Pursat gold from mesoud. For me this oil is significant one because I have smelled a couple of samples of Pursat oil but it has always been from a reseller.

To me this seems like the perfect crassna profile. I struggle with most new crassna oils even high end ones because there is generally some kind of shrill or sour or bug or benzaldehyde note that I find distracting and I have to wait for that to pass before I enjoy the oil. this oil really seems to just concentrate the most pleasant aspects of what I think as the Cambodi profile while still retaining balance and not getting shrill or sour. It is very appealing to smell deeply at all stages of its development. I'm so surprised that wood from that region produces such a distinct profile, and this is clearly a close cousin to the Pursat oil that mesoud carried when he launched. Based on the top notes I would guess the wood was soaked in water a bit, but not for long enough to cause real fermentation.

I am wondering what this oil will smell like in 5/10 years… I have about one drop left. I think I will have to fill the sample bottle with alcohol just to enable me to experience it a few more times at at lower intensity.

just love the Pursat in general and it is very gratifying to have this specimen direct from the distiller. This makes it a valuable specimen and not "just another oud" in my stash.

 

[Zazu]

Because I have zero patience, I popped open my just received vials.

Koh Kong Special K - Oh-my-! Creamy, milky, but also that bright tingling menthol coolness feeling. It opened really quiet, it took a few minutes to ramp up.

Angkor Royale - This is my first Cambodi that has a bit of petrichor as I apply it. Just a question for more experienced oud-heads: where does that scent come from?

 

[-Renton-]

Was wearing HabzOud's Al Hareer today and for the first time in a while, just enjoyed it, wasn't taking it too seriously with remembering notes, and clipping them in my head for a full on write up, or even half write up, but was just taking in the notes and was enjoying it, sure the notes I was smelling came to my head, but I wasn't saving them for a post, just going with the flow as I have plenty left to do that another day and it was 15c here today (which is hot for us Scots haha, and we have very insulated houses and no AC so 15c feels real hot here compared to places in America that have hardly any insulation, we have thick insulation and double to triple glazed windows so yeah) and the notes that I did get were super enjoyable because of the heat and the high humidity.

Right now I am on the dry down, although I can still feel the oil on my skin a little, so I may be on the end of base notes going into dry down and it is very floral, smoky, oudy, hay, fresh countryside vibes, summer, spring water type notes with hints of oceanic notes, sweetness, clean leather (like inbetween a leather seat in an expensive car and a handbag) and woody, agarwood incense notes. Lovely to enjoy this oil without the added stress of trying to remember every note haha.

EDIT; I should add though, that the floral notes ARE actually barny and powdery at the same time.

 

[-Renton-]

Because I have zero patience, I popped open my just received vials.

Koh Kong Special K - Oh-my-! Creamy, milky, but also that bright tingling menthol coolness feeling. It opened really quiet, it took a few minutes to ramp up.

Angkor Royale - This is my first Cambodi that has a bit of petrichor as I apply it. Just a question for more experienced oud-heads: where does that scent come from?

I have for some reason associated with rainy or wet notes to camphor.

 

[The Scent Guru]

Testing a Hindi distilled by Meena Perfumery in Kannauj. Classic traditional styled Hindi, cacao, tobacco and dried fruit. A little dirty in the right way, smooth.

 

[FreeSoul]

Tarakan Qadeem from Mesoud with a swipe of his Mitti Attar next to it, really loving this combination!