Oud of the Day

[User]

Al Malek Al Malaki - Al Shareef

This oil reminds me of some of the old Malaysian oils with a very deep and dark profile and it’s very smooth. A bit low key and sits close to the skin for me. I really enjoy it overall, but there’s a weird note in the opening that I don’t like. Maybe something like olives? Goes away very quickly so I just apply it and enjoy it a couple minutes later.

 

[User]

Ohh these purple resinous malays are the favorites of almost every oud head. What a pitty that you didnt enjoy Kanbi Koh and Emp Kedah v2. These are really really good presentations of this beloved profile.

Purple Malay is a SQ Oil that was sold by Sulaym. A malay from the 90s that has these beautiful purple floral facets but it is powdery and woody in comparison to the other 2 you mentioned. It is my favorite SQ Oil after Oud Royale 82 from the Sultans vault.

It has similarities to other sq oils due to the distillation method maybe & the aging but also has vibrant top notes that cover the similarities to these purple malay oils of recent years.

And yes emp kedah v2 is very similar to v1. The differences are only noticeable in direct comparison side by side. V1 being more kinamic & ethereal in the top notes

Yeah it’s kind of strange but I guess it’s just my opinion.

On the other hand, I love Purple Malay from Sulaym. That is a great oil but doesn’t smell much like EOK or Kanbi Koh to me.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Thai Zen - AlHind Oud. I really love this one so much. It's a real power house, super strong and resinous. I enjoy wearing this when working outside. It's hot and sweaty and no matter how dirty and smelly I get, this thick Oud cuts through it all.

 

[Castingshadows]

Trying Nha Trang Oritsu now that my nose is finally back in action.

I pick up on the cotton candy grape accord in this oil. It feels similar to Myanma Gold or even Pusong Qi but with this slight purple nuance. And by purple I mean very much a grape juice note. I’m not the biggest fan of purple but this oil is growing on me.

It does feel somewhat basic in comparison to the description however I was able to smell the drydown on the flat toothpick I used to swipe it with a week or so ago and that drydown tells me this is one seriously special oil. There was a creamy cooked milk aroma with peppery ouddy woods. Very solid complexity. I’m excited to continue getting to know this one.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Going crazy with layering again tonight. For those who can, give this a go. MesOud - Oud Said + Habzoud - Al Namir. This is what heaven must smell like.💚🙏

 

[Obada]

Trying Nha Trang Oritsu now that my nose is finally back in action.

I pick up on the cotton candy grape accord in this oil. It feels similar to Myanma Gold or even Pusong Qi but with this slight purple nuance. And by purple I mean very much a grape juice note. I’m not the biggest fan of purple but this oil is growing on me.

It does feel somewhat basic in comparison to the description however I was able to smell the drydown on the flat toothpick I used to swipe it with a week or so ago and that drydown tells me this is one seriously special oil. There was a creamy cooked milk aroma with peppery ouddy woods. Very solid complexity. I’m excited to continue getting to know this one.

Omg I love these purple grapes oils and creamy milk and a Nha Trang on top? This may put me in coma ⚡️⚡️

 

[-Renton-]

I like this one. The opening is a bit spicy to me.

Yes, me too. I felt like there was spiciness all the way through. Do you also feel there is a bit of a Chinese oud smell even in the base notes and dry down? I did anyway, kinda like a Hainan scent in the base slowly drying down into this unusual (unique?) Cambodian oil scent.

 

[Castingshadows]

Omg I love these purple grapes oils and creamy milk and a Nha Trang on top? This may put me in coma ⚡️⚡️

Here’s the thing the creamy milk notes never show up on my skin. That’s why I’m trying to understand where the disconnect is coming from. It never moves out of that basic profile. Only on the toothpick does it smell fantastic. On my skin it’s a pretty standard mid grade oil with a grape juice note.

But this is the fun that comes with exploring oils. I try not to write oils off in the beginning because my nose struggled with fully smelling them.

 

[TheOudDood]

Here’s the thing the creamy milk notes never show up on my skin. That’s why I’m trying to understand where the disconnect is coming from. It never moves out of that basic profile. Only on the toothpick does it smell fantastic. On my skin it’s a pretty standard mid grade oil with a grape juice note.

But this is the fun that comes with exploring oils. I try not to write oils off in the beginning because my nose struggled with fully smelling them.

Same here. Smells more interesting from the bottle and on the initial few mins of the opening, then settles to a basic profile and does not seem to move from there.

 

[Castingshadows]

Same here. Smells more interesting from the bottle and on the initial few mins of the opening, then settles to a basic profile and does not seem to move from there.

I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something but it gets pretty thin as it dries down. I missed Nha Trang KO before it sold out so I’m alittle bummed I didn’t try it before it was gone.

 

[TheOudDood]

I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something but it gets pretty thin as it dries down. I missed Nha Trang KO before it sold out so I’m alittle bummed I didn’t try it before it was gone.

NT ko is a much better oil in my opinion/to my nose.

 

[Castingshadows]

NT ko is a much better oil in my opinion/to my nose.

Have you tried Yusa’s Fragrant Harbor? I’d be curious to know how it compares to the several other fragrant harbors out there. To my nose it was stunning and one of the best oils I’ve smelled this year. But I haven’t tried any of the others yet.

 

[Mr.P]

NT ko is a much better oil in my opinion/to my nose.

NT ko makes me happy

 

[TheOudDood]

Have you tried Yusa’s Fragrant Harbor? I’d be curious to know how it compares to the several other fragrant harbors out there. To my nose it was stunning and one of the best oils I’ve smelled this year. But I haven’t tried any of the others yet.

Yeah I have that one, along with FHI from IO and Frag harbour from Attar store/Kymia.

It's ok/pretty good.

Growing on me, smells more like hainan than HK. Pretty much the same smell from the vial as on my skin, that doesn't really change or evolve opening to dry down. I'll swipe some again now and see how it lands 🙂

 

[Mr.P]

Levent - @mesOUD 's wild Leyte oil from July. Trying to put some words on what this is like - it's toothy, phenolic, faint tartness, a bit roasted in its top notes like some oolong teas. Good strong oudy bitter note. Nice tantalizing spicy woody base. That's the best I can do for now. Heavy hitting oud with no funk or decay. Yum

 

[Xerohome]

A friend brought with him multiple oud oils that were stored for more than 30 years with an old veteran oud collector who wanted to sell some.
These oils have the old wood signature, smoothness, florals and muskiness.
I was shocked how similar one Malaysian oil to the best Malaysian oils I tried from a famous house.
The Maroke one was on bar with the best oil I tried from that region. The cambodian was excellent, has a civet floral dirty like note, which is breathtaking.
I'm in love with old oud oils. When I first started collecting oud oils I preferred the new gen, clean type, now I'm on the opposite pole.

 

[dignitychicken]

Have you tried Yusa’s Fragrant Harbor? I’d be curious to know how it compares to the several other fragrant harbors out there. To my nose it was stunning and one of the best oils I’ve smelled this year. But I haven’t tried any of the others yet.

I have Fragrant Harbour from Kymya/The Attar Store and did a side by side with Yusa out of curiosity.

I agree with @TheOudDood that Yusa's smells more like a classic Hainan profile, which is curious because Kymya's FH is a HK/Hainan co-distill whereas Yusa's is just HK I believe. When I say that Yusa's is more classic Hainan I mean that for me it's more floral, warm, soft and honeyed, with the powdered bitterness coming through more in the drydown.

The FH from Kymya is much more piercing and bitter, which is a quality that endures throughout the life of its wear - I imagine it's the 'Taiwanese signature'. I know Hamza ended up collecting quite a few Taiwanese oils in his collection, and FH was one of his crown jewels. It's my current go to when I want that piercing bitterness (what I think of when I read 'kinamic'). Much fewer floral and ambient notes than Yusa's FH oil, but also somewhat more immediately striking whereas Yusa's rewards time and attention.

Both are great and worth having, for me at least, as they do quite different things.

 

[TheOudDood]

I have Fragrant Harbour from Kymya/The Attar Store and did a side by side with Yusa out of curiosity.

I agree with @TheOudDood that Yusa's smells more like a classic Hainan profile, which is curious because Kymya's FH is a HK/Hainan co-distill whereas Yusa's is just HK I believe. When I say that Yusa's is more classic Hainan I mean that for me it's more floral, warm, soft and honeyed, with the powdered bitterness coming through in the drydown.

The FH from Kymya is much more piercing and bitter, which is a quality that endures throughout the life of its wear - I imagine it's the 'Taiwanese signature' quality, because Hamza ended up collecting quite a few Taiwanese oils in his collection, and FH was one of them. It's my current go to when I want that piercing bitterness (what I think of when I read 'kinamic'). Much less floral and ambient notes.

Both are great and worth having, for me at least, as they do quite different things.

That’s a good comparison and write up.

I swiped The FH from Yusa again this morning and it is indeed growing on me and Im glad I have it. Reminds me a bit of Hailam ltd from EO, minus the “Taiwanese signature” but shares the clean and pure sinensis profile.

It projects decently well for me even with a tiny dot.

My question now is, how does it compare to the other HK oil Yusa has currently?

 

[dignitychicken]

That’s a good comparison and write up.

I swiped The FH from Yusa again this morning and it is indeed growing on me and Im glad I have it. Reminds me a bit of Hailam ltd from EO, minus the “Taiwanese signature” but shares the clean and pure sinensis profile.

It projects decently well for me even with a tiny dot.

My question now is, how does it compare to the other HK oil Yusa has currently?

I got a sample of the other Hong Kong from Yusa in my order of Harimau, I just swiped it to see.

To my nose, they are obviously both Sinensis but ultimately totally different. The HK does not smell aged in the way Yusa's FH does, and doesn't have as many of the expansive floral and herbal notes, at this point early on it feels fairly linear. Something to my nose keeps flagging the sourness of a crassna in the top, but then I sniff more closely and it's clearly sinensis. It's good, just not as distinguished or remarkable, so the clear price differences make total sense to me. Great starting point for someone wanting exposure to sinensis, but anyone who has the Fragrant Harbour wouldn't need to have both.

 

[Woody]

I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something but it gets pretty thin as it dries down. I missed Nha Trang KO before it sold out so I’m alittle bummed I didn’t try it before it was gone.

I have some that I would decant or sell outright.