Oud of the Day

[ManilaDawn]

We gave these out for free under an offer last year. Human psychology being what it is, probably doesn’t value easy acquisitions such as this, but it was a fantastic oil. Unfortunately as far as I’m aware, it’s all gone now.

I have 5g of your Trat Sultan that came with ghaliyahs. Thank you!

 

[Dr B1414]

Treated myself to some amazing oils today.

Applied in the morning on my neck, a few swipes of an unnamed Cambodi oil from Faizal, of which he generously sent me a sample. If it were me, I'd name it Xuè pò (血珀), meaning Red or Blood Amber. This one is red, and I am guessing Koh Kong. However, this oil is rather unique, which makes me go back and revisit it occasionally. It is very complex. Thick and full-bodied, but not like the typical aged or traditional oils. Has some honey-like sweetness but is devoid of the distinctive fruity nuances. Starts off very powdery, like a mix of flowers and berry powder. Then, it features somewhat tannic and bitter leafy aspects mingled with resinous sweetness. Later, it gets sort of red, but I can't say it is fruity. It gets to a phase where it smells like cistus labdanum in dilution mixed with boronia and tobacco. Dusty, ambery, a bit sweet, with a quirky, tangy, almost rusty facet. The last stage displays some faint musky notes. It's such a trip. There's also a clear kinamic quality that runs through the oil, something I noticed even better when wearing the oil on my neck. I am not a fan of Cambodian oils. There are few that I own and few that I love or like. But this one is very nice as it checks all the boxes for me: enjoyable, complex, dynamic, and unique. I have a bit left in my sample, but I feel it's going to turn into a bottle.

Later, I did side by side EO Kannan Koh and EO Oud Sultani 2001, two oils that I consider the paragon of what Malaysian oils can offer. Oud Sultani has long been regarded by many collectors and oudheads as the standard powdery purple Malay oil, and with good reason. It's powdery, sweet, oozing with honey, but also features a faint Merauke-like DNA with faint petrichor, and I also pick up some Pinene-like molecules that offer a faint Pine forest vibe to the oil. Its only downside is that it is not very dynamic and complex.

That's where Kannan Koh improves upon it. It shares all the beautiful purple-powdery facets of OS, but the DNA core is definitely Malaysian, with some hints of Borneo; there is also that musky and earthy quality one finds in Oud Ahmad, yet far more subtle, and the high-pitched kinamic bite with metallic undertones that oils such as Purple Kinam or Royal Malaya display. It's an all-you-can-eat Malay buffet made only of the best dishes. Oud Ahmad will forever be my personal favorite, and surely it is one of the most exquisite Malaysian oils ever, but if I were to rank them objectively, Kannan Koh and Berkilau are the best overall Malaysian oils I have ever smelled.

 

[mobyus]

Ebas Oud - Najd Blend

A blend of 8 different oud-producing regions. Notes of leather, berries 🍇, citrus, clay, and damp forest floor. The scent gets straight to the point. I would say the Trat and Cambodi regions stand out the most here. With the Trat adding a spicy and citrus nuance and the Cambodi adding the berry note. Very nice!

 

[Oudicine]

Purest- An olfactory journey, starting with sweet bitterness,sour grapes and incense. Then it turns to milk oolong.I get why people are saying it does not shout as cambodian oil as we dont experience clean pursat oils at this level. I should compare it to my other pursat from AA which animalic and cherry like tobacco. Definitely needs more time with

 

[Karim Collects]

EO Royal Kinam V1

Finally got the chance to acquire this elusive Hong Kong distillation. It’s a great oil, compared to V2 the essence is the same but the latter is more versatile in my opinion. Another oils that I do see the same line in both versions but in a much brighter profile is in JS Emperor of Guan Yu while RKV1 is more medical and bitter and RKV2 rocks more on the top notes. Personally, out of all the HK oils tried so far nothing beats Hyang Kang, what a magnificent oil that one.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

We gave these out for free under an offer last year. Human psychology being what it is, probably doesn’t value easy acquisitions such as this, but it was a fantastic oil. Unfortunately as far as I’m aware, it’s all gone now.

I fell head over heels for it and sourced myself a second gram.

 

[sevki_ak]

sotn

KANBI KOH by @AbuTominaga on my left wrist
NHA TRANG KO by @YusaAromatics on my right wrist

and then rubbed with my beard
kinamic explosion ⚡️⚡

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Treated myself to some amazing oils today.

Applied in the morning on my neck, a few swipes of an unnamed Cambodi oil from Faizal, of which he generously sent me a sample. If it were me, I'd name it Xuè pò (血珀), meaning Red or Blood Amber. This one is red, and I am guessing Koh Kong. However, this oil is rather unique, which makes me go back and revisit it occasionally. It is very complex. Thick and full-bodied, but not like the typical aged or traditional oils. Has some honey-like sweetness but is devoid of the distinctive fruity nuances. Starts off very powdery, like a mix of flowers and berry powder. Then, it features somewhat tannic and bitter leafy aspects mingled with resinous sweetness. Later, it gets sort of red, but I can't say it is fruity. It gets to a phase where it smells like cistus labdanum in dilution mixed with boronia and tobacco. Dusty, ambery, a bit sweet, with a quirky, tangy, almost rusty facet. The last stage displays some faint musky notes. It's such a trip. There's also a clear kinamic quality that runs through the oil, something I noticed even better when wearing the oil on my neck. I am not a fan of Cambodian oils. There are few that I own and few that I love or like. But this one is very nice as it checks all the boxes for me: enjoyable, complex, dynamic, and unique. I have a bit left in my sample, but I feel it's going to turn into a bottle.

Great description. I also received a sample of this one. Unofficially named Kinam Thaqeel. "it smells like cistus labdanum in dilution mixed with boronia and tobacco." Perfectly said.

 

[aoudgauze]

Sheikh Oud VIP from Fwakher.

Based on the name, lack of details about origin, and price, alongside the wildly strong projection and longevity, I'm not sure this is all natural but that's OKAY. Smells super soft and one-dimensional but beautiful. If this were the oud they'd put in all the "oud" perfumes, I'd be a happy camper. I get light, ephemeral woods with a bit of honey and fruit. It gives off a woody-leathery-golden aura and sort of just swipes on as its scent instead of moving through top-middle-base. It reminds me of some Thai oils and has a musky pollen tone.

 

[Shampoo_Dream]

Rakheem - ASO
I was lucky enough to grab the final bottle of this last year and it also happens to be my first ever oud oil purchase. It is so deep and at the same time such an incredibly accessible oil to a newbie like me. There are florals and lemongrass notes but the fruit!! So much fruit!! This is the kind of oil I could bathe in. It is difficult having this oil as a benchmark because having experienced this level of quality has made me want it with everything now and it’s a high bar to compare to.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Rakheem - ASO
I was lucky enough to grab the final bottle of this last year and it also happens to be my first ever oud oil purchase. It is so deep and at the same time such an incredibly accessible oil to a newbie like me. There are florals and lemongrass notes but the fruit!! So much fruit!! This is the kind of oil I could bathe in. It is difficult having this oil as a benchmark because having experienced this level of quality has made me want it with everything now and it’s a high bar to compare to.

Welcome to the rabbit hole.😉🙏

 

[p$yl35h]

RBO - Nam Dao. Mineral, salt, ocean spray, tamarind, bitter honey.
Lifted a bit with a generous helping of white florals à la scent_talks/the black stone.

 

[Al Shareef Oudh]

Rakheem - ASO
I was lucky enough to grab the final bottle of this last year and it also happens to be my first ever oud oil purchase. It is so deep and at the same time such an incredibly accessible oil to a newbie like me. There are florals and lemongrass notes but the fruit!! So much fruit!! This is the kind of oil I could bathe in. It is difficult having this oil as a benchmark because having experienced this level of quality has made me want it with everything now and it’s a high bar to compare to.

In my humble opinion, for that price Really difficult to beat Rakheem. The older brother PHRA Siam is another gem, a little more pricey but that next level.

 

[Shampoo_Dream]

In my humble opinion, for that price Really difficult to beat Rakheem. The older brother PHRA Siam is another gem, a little more pricey but that next level.

I feel it’s only a matter of time before I go for that one.

 

[mobyus]

Immortal Oud - Koh Kong 2018

Glad to have my sense of taste and smell back after a sick spell! Oh how I missed the scent of good oud and attars.

On this occasion, I reached for my KK2018 which is just diabolically amazing. It’s deep, rich, and well rounded. Has that berry compote scent nailed down better than any other oud I’ve tried. Nothing comes close to the berry smell that KK2018 emits. It also has this charred smoky nuance. Like grilled and smoked cherries 🍒. Also getting notes of tobacco and clay. Really lovely stuff this is.

 

[hutou]

Although some samples were very expensive, I am still grateful to my friend for the Dar Abu Dhabi.

 

[p$yl35h]

Oudologie - bormi
Rich fruits past their prime, orange/red resin in a thick unctuous syrup. Dries down to something nice like sweet incense bakhoor sticking to clothes or skin.

 

[Mr.P]

I don't know what's wrong with me, I love this plain old low intensity self-made extract of green kinam resin (broadlink wood) and it's the one thing I always carry with me now along with a bottle of sandalwood. About 1/20 the loudness of a typical oud, muted even compared to sandalwood, it's a fragrance that only somebody within a foot of me is going to pick up on but in the meanwhile I get layer after a layer of truly satisfying elegant clean bittersweet vanillin and woody resin. Nothing complicated like a wild oil, nothing projecting like a distillate, but it's not dull and "felty" like a CO2 just quite simple and quite beautiful. It is a good base for layering with sandalwood as well.

I have a version of this made from wood that was baked for a period of time in a mason jar - that oil has a slightly different presence and at times can at times tricked me into thinking that I forgot to turn off the subitism if I forget that I put some on.

This is probably the lowest hanging DIY project for anybody who wants to make their own oils, but you have to be able to enjoy a very mild skin scent. This stuff is like the dry down of sandalwood from the get-go, especially if you don't bake the wood before extracting. I slightly prefer the profile of the raw oil but the slightly higher impact of the toasted is also nice

 

[stumpt]

A quiet night in called for a swipe of Ensar's Sultan Ahmet oil - this is the one that was given with EO 5: SA, not the previous standalone release. I get a very nice blue-green cool and aquamarine opening. Then the green incense comes in, making way for a drydown centering around green blue tones bouncing off incensey clean woods. There are slightly salivary, musky tones. Mineralic tones as well, giving a metallic facet. A very pleasant oil with great phases.

 

[mobyus]

Sokkat AlTeeb - Trat Hatab (firewood)

Just had 2 root canal treatments. Thought I would go with something potent.

This orange 🍊 citrus scent is really strong. Almost like an orange waffle 🧇 syrup atop some melted butter. Spicy and sour.