Oud of the Day

[Karim Collects]

EO Guallam No 1

A beautiful wood cherry note, very approachable and sweet but not overpowering. Lovely Vietnamese crassana.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Habzoud - Al Janah Hindi. (First release) Honestly, I'd love to try the second release and was there a third as well? This oil came out before I joined the forum. @Habz786 was very generous in sending me a sample of a little bit he had left. This in turn sent me on an immediate mission to locate a larger amount, it's that good. Very clean Hindi, zero barn at all but very unique. Definitely has leather and tobacco notes. Like walking into a shop that sells mens leather products like shoes and belts and wallets. That kind of thing. 💚

 

[Yudha]

Dahn al oudh amiri by Ajmal

 

[SteveE]

I just wanna thank you all for your poetic descriptions, mentioning often elements I didn’t even know existed – – making me want to research things like spikenard and so many other things I never even knew about.
Thank you all!!

 

[Rai Munir]

Juxtaposition
1. Merauke by Habz Oud
2. Jasmine Musk Maceration named Oscent

Merauke is one of the lot currently available at Habz Oud. Whenever I wear a new Oud, flashbacks are always there. This Merauke reminded me of dear and respected Taha's Syed Ascent. Phenomenal! Putting aside my personal leanings, quality of the oil is up to the scratch. Most importantly, the scent trails evolve harmoniously. So smooth a fragrance! A beauteous evening is there in this oil.
Wearing Oscent (Jasmine Musk) is what I can't resist. The only fragrance that is my love, one and only. Ceylon and Malay Ouds and Kashmiri Musk and Amber, and then a little touch of Mysore Sandal. The rainbow is complete.

For Merauke lovers, this Merauke is a game.

 

[Faris]

Fan Fav Burmi’79 🫡

Delightful full-bodied profile of rich, deep-purple Resin as main course, with a side of fresh pencil shavings (Cedarwood). The best resinous profile I’ve experienced. It’s as if the wood was dipped in pure liquid Resin pre-distillation. Perhaps this is how a resin-rich wood smells like when distilled.

I don’t find anything Crassna-like in this Burmi (neither Sinensis for that matter). Feels more like a co-distln with resinous Malay wood.

 

[Karim Collects]

Fan Fav Burmi’79 🫡

Delightful full-bodied profile of rich, deep-purple Resin as main course, with a side of fresh pencil shavings (Cedarwood). The best resinous profile I’ve experienced. It’s as if the wood was dipped in pure liquid Resin pre-distillation. Perhaps this is how a resin-rich wood smells like when distilled.

I don’t find anything Crassna-like in this Burmi (neither Sinensis for that matter). Feels more like a co-distln with resinous Malay wood.

I agree, similar to meroke 1982 (Oud Royale) I believe it to be also a Malay co-distillation. Of course I am not saying this as a fact but I’ve noticed this in many sq oils.

 

[Groats]

CKR-ASO

Starts off with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Very Christmas spice forward. As it dries down, the spices fade away and it becomes very sticky sweet. The sweetness reminds me of honey while it is being cooked. Its been 8 hours now and I get a nutty wood note that reminds me of peanut shells. I like certain aspects of this one, but all together it is not clicking with me. This sample will go back into my drawer and I will revisit it in the future, hopefully with a fresher context and perspective. However, unfortunately this may not be one for me.

 

[AlHind Oud]

Cultivated kinam oils that were hydro-distilled a few years ago are now showing some complexity rather than linearity. It's interesting to see how they'll develop further in the next couple of years.

 

[Sipy]

Santal_and_Oud (ig) 2019 Merauke on the left, Oudique 2018 Merauke on the right. Wish I had Habz' to compare with as well. The asterisk here being I just received the 2019 santalOud one about an hour ago.

I think a newbie, if you told them to smell from the cap, they would call this the same fragrance. Both are for filaria lovers through and through. The openings are quite similar but the heart and dry down is where the magic happens with both.

Oudique rides a wave of freshly stirred earth, crushed underbrush, a wonderful bitterness. I will fail to call it an astringency due to the negative connotation that word gets a lot of the time. It's very very fumey. The roasted coffee is present on every wear. There's herbs, there's spices. Licorice baby. There's one last aspect I keep failing to find words for but the association will hit me one day. It's like that key ingredient in a recipe that once you find you go aha and it's what makes the whole recipe go bang. Maybe it's the incense and spice mix I'm trying to figure out - not sure.

While this new oil to me is remarkably similar in the beginning, it settles into something different at about the 45 minute mark onwards. From the beginning it lacks the bitterness and it is instead replaced by a warmth. Instead of a almost citrusy fennel-like experience with oudique instead you get the warmth of clove. It's a little damp but the earth is packed down and the mycelium is growing. I would not call this green. Instead of coffee roasting you get a brewed cup. It's velvety and more akin to sitting in a lounge chair. The sweetness is barely present and not sugary or syrupy. This is almost a juxtaposition but the closest thing would be a caramel dipped apple in the fall somewhere in New England. There was a flash of old dusty chests for a moment but that disappeared in seconds. There's incense smoke but it's less in your face here. Almost wants to push itself into the gourmand territory. I could see a skilled perfumer doing such.

Long story short - same soup different spoon.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Al Hashmi - Qadeem 2023. Initial impressions of a blind buy. This oil is my small contribution to the recent sale. First time purchasing from Al Hashmi. Even though in the lower end of the price ladder, this is still an expensive oil for me and I would not have had the opportunity to buy it without the sale. For that alone I'm very grateful. A Cambodian/Malaysian blend ( please correct me if it's a co- distillation, I can't remember) it's all Cambodi from the start. Probably the most hardcore old school Cambodian I've tried and yet it's still modern. No funk or barn but heavy iodine/diesel. Enough to blast the back of your head off, so tiny dots is how to use this. I think a swipe would potentially turn me off it. I have to treat this with kid gloves and it's for outside wearing only. ( My wife definitely does not like this one and she made me wash it off before I was allowed to sit next to her on the couch. I should know this already). Before this happened however, I started getting what I'm going to call "scent echoes". Notes of the Malaysian in the dry down that I wasn't actually smelling and yet words that I associate with a Malaysian were popping into my head randomly. Cola and incense for example. It's quite a thin oil as well so to get such strong notes from so little means there's a lot to try and understand with this one and it'll be in my collection for a very long time. Even further ageing will bring the Malay out in front a little further I should think. 💚🙏

 

[SteveE]

Malinau by Habz Oud:
To make the long story short, this is The Malinau (Borneo) of the Golden Era of Agarwood Oil. No need to mention the name/s of certain legends, which are still in the connoisseurs' stash and visible on the resellers' shelf, prized and treasured, and are rightly prized and treasured, this Malinau is re-emergence (NOT reincarnation) of Old Timers. Just name of the oil is different and the house that has offered is different.

Greeting pungent, bitter, metallic, marine punch and further this 'narcotica' transforms into precious, green sweet woody scent, and later, it unveils its heart- the essential beauty- of the Oud oil- liquid gold resin on KyaraZen's milky white ceramic subitism burner. Sheer beauty!

Feel is all that matters to me. Deconstruction of notes is studying something dead and lifeless. Fragrance is the phenomenon very much alive. It whispers- KODO.

This Malinau does whisper and then silence prevails- blissful whisper and divine silence.

Long live, dear Habz.

The oil when I received it was… Somehow not quite put together. I can’t quite describe it but now that it’s been a couple weeks it’s just lovely - really really happy with it and consider it one of the best values I’ve experienced in terms of the bang for the buck. Punches way above its price point and sits on my AAA shelf along oils 2-3x more expensive.
Habz you are amazing! Thank you brother!

 

[Faris]

I agree, similar to meroke 1982 (Oud Royale) I believe it to be also a Malay co-distillation. Of course I am not saying this as a fact but I’ve noticed this in many sq oils.

As I try Purple Malay, I wonder if they mixed this with Burmi’79 👀
The purple in PM leans more bright Iris whereas, in Burmi’79 it leans towards Java Plum (somewhat similar to oils from Maluku minus the powderiness)

 

[mobyus]

Oud No5 - AlMajed Oud

After a vacation it’s nice to get back into my war chest again. On this occasion, I wanted to try AlMajed Oud No5.

It’s a viscous medium-dark brown clear Oud. It smells of new leather from a Louis Vuitton bag. I believe it’s mixed and not pure. But not in an undesirable way. Just a way that a chain looks to make their product palatable. I like it though and will enjoy it.

 

[Sipy]

Santal&Oud's Maluku 2024

Never smelled anything quite like this before. It feels uplifting like fresh rain yet somber and quiet and empty at the same time. Apple skins, iris, a handful of water (not ocean), damp, eventually a creeping incensey sweetness, some powder, a floral bouquet emerges deep in the heart, hyrax muskiness (very subtle).

 

[Xerohome]

On my right hand is an old Hindi oud, on the left is one of the best Cambodian oil from Sultan Qaboos oils. The SQ oil has the well known sweet notes at the opening with a very red, berry, slightly fermented notes, This could be considered the oud royale of Cambodi oils.
The Hindi feels so old, smells like a honey and hot bread with cinnamon, silk smooth, very old leather and wood.

 

[mobyus]

On my right hand is an old Hindi oud, on the left is one of the best Cambodian oil from Sultan Qaboos oils. The SQ oil has the well known sweet notes at the opening with a very red, berry, slightly fermented notes, This could be considered the oud royale of Cambodi oils.
The Hindi feels so old, smells like a honey and hot bread with cinnamon, silk smooth, very old leather and wood.

The Camboodi sounds so good! Especially anointing it the “Oud Royale of Cambodis” So does the Hindi. Enjoy 🙂

 

[Simla House]

Ensar Oud : Tigerwood Royale 2001

Haven't worn this since last year.
I seem to prefer this type of oud in the early winter, but this was a random check-in and swipe.
Bottle is still full and the halitosis / whale tonsil stone profile has lessened quite a lot v.s. 10 years ago.
It's a dense purple beauty; a touch of camphor atop the deep resin.
Absolutely happening today in the warm weather.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Al Hashmi - Wild Trat Sultan. Receiving a gram of this as a freebie is some pretty nice icing on the cake I have to say. For a sweet Trat Thai does it get any better? All the notes you would expect. Nice and jammy AND it's from Al Hashmi 🤩🙏

 

[theaphilosophia]

Al Hashmi - Wild Trat Sultan. Receiving a gram of this as a freebie is some pretty nice icing on the cake I have to say. For a sweet Trat Thai does it get any better? All the notes you would expect. Nice and jammy AND it's from Al Hashmi 🤩🙏

Glad you're liking it!

Any thoughts on how it compares to Al Hind's Thai Zen?