Ammar
True Ouddict
Thank you jensz. I’m trying to take a more realistic approach in my reviews rather than a poetic image. More beneficial to the reader I guess.
Oud Reviews
- Thread starter Ouddict
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Thank you jensz. I’m trying to take a more realistic approach in my reviews rather than a poetic image. More beneficial to the reader I guess.
Ammar
True Ouddict
Feel-Oud SI LANI,
Starts with smoke…Actually, a lot of smoke like a barbecue feast with charred meat on the grill. There is a hint of the “on steroid Borneo” sweetness known for Walla Patta trying desperately to find its way through all of this overwhelming smoke. And the smoke fades but stays watching for any attempt of the refined Gyrinpos jungle and woodiness to show up.
In MY opinion, a dominant harsh smoke is not that much of an artisan act as it can easily produced, second when you have a generic wood with expected smell, adding a puff of smoke as a twist to create something unusual out of the already usual scent profile is an avant-garde idea as in Aroha Kyako and Cambodi Hasukui (same distiller?), but when you get such a high grade wood with potentials to produce an exceptional bright olfactory result as in Walla Pata, you don’t need to work hard to add something alien to its unique scent profile, otherwise you really need to watch and meticulously reassess the progression to produce a desired balanced unmasking incense-like smokiness like in Sultan series for example. I need to revisit it at least in a couple of years hopefully to tune down the smoke and give time to the Si Lani Gyrinpos to show its beauty.
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried Old School Vietnam to compare between the two regarding the intensity of smokiness versus balance but I think jensz can help with this. If you are a fumigator into a hardcore smokiness you may like this one but you can get the same effect, not related to the Sri Lanka wood, better with other oils. For me, I prefer more refined and balanced incensy smokiness that does NOT obscure the performance of the undelying original wood aromas.
Note: This is a personal assessment and constructive critic as I know Adam is open to any opinion, KUDOS to him!
Regarding Feel Oud Vietnam/Bio Kyara, well, it is a different story!...Later on this one.
Starts with smoke…Actually, a lot of smoke like a barbecue feast with charred meat on the grill. There is a hint of the “on steroid Borneo” sweetness known for Walla Patta trying desperately to find its way through all of this overwhelming smoke. And the smoke fades but stays watching for any attempt of the refined Gyrinpos jungle and woodiness to show up.
In MY opinion, a dominant harsh smoke is not that much of an artisan act as it can easily produced, second when you have a generic wood with expected smell, adding a puff of smoke as a twist to create something unusual out of the already usual scent profile is an avant-garde idea as in Aroha Kyako and Cambodi Hasukui (same distiller?), but when you get such a high grade wood with potentials to produce an exceptional bright olfactory result as in Walla Pata, you don’t need to work hard to add something alien to its unique scent profile, otherwise you really need to watch and meticulously reassess the progression to produce a desired balanced unmasking incense-like smokiness like in Sultan series for example. I need to revisit it at least in a couple of years hopefully to tune down the smoke and give time to the Si Lani Gyrinpos to show its beauty.
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried Old School Vietnam to compare between the two regarding the intensity of smokiness versus balance but I think jensz can help with this. If you are a fumigator into a hardcore smokiness you may like this one but you can get the same effect, not related to the Sri Lanka wood, better with other oils. For me, I prefer more refined and balanced incensy smokiness that does NOT obscure the performance of the undelying original wood aromas.
Note: This is a personal assessment and constructive critic as I know Adam is open to any opinion, KUDOS to him!
Regarding Feel Oud Vietnam/Bio Kyara, well, it is a different story!...Later on this one.
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Ammar
True Ouddict
It is a new oil distilled from incense-grade cultivated Vietnamese wood with a prospective vision to imitate the aroma of high end Japanese incense sticks I think. You can find an excellent first impression/review by jensz and JohnH in the "Oud of The Day" section.
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I know what you mean Ammar. But IMO both style of reviews are worthy: the "realistic" ones provide what one might call "actionable intelligence," whereas the poetic ones are inherently delightful to read even if not "actionable." But I too have done fewer poetic ones: when I was still new to oud oil, I didn't have the olfactory palate or vocabulary to pick up or describe the notes, but I did get distinct visual images that I could write up as an experience of the oil - the "poetic" kind of review. Now, I have better functional tools so lean towards the practical approach, even though I still get the transporting imagery. 🙂
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@Ammar, very well-done review of Si Lani. My bit arrived last night and upon reading your review I had to try a tiny dot right away even though it was late and I had only 2 hours to wear it. And gosh you are right-on. Si Lani starts as a smokehouse, smokier than any oud oil I've tried. (It reminded me a little of the fragrance Fumidus by Profumum Roma -- but smokier.) The smokey element was dialed way up, and at least to me it was discordant with the sweet scent of the oil. To me a smoke note in an oud oil usually comes across as something that emerged from within the wood or oil itself so there is harmony; with Si Lani, it's like the oil was infused with smoke from some external source, so it doesn't blend. The smoke did recede during my short wear but never disappeared. I wonder if the smoke note will diminish from the bottle with some time, and if so how long it would take. Maybe Adam can say more about how he got that note and about whether it will dissipate.
At the moment, I'm not sure how Si Lani will pan out. But whatever my next assessment of Si Lani is, the fact remains that I greatly admire Adam's adventurous and experimental approach and look forward to his upcoming releases.
At the moment, I'm not sure how Si Lani will pan out. But whatever my next assessment of Si Lani is, the fact remains that I greatly admire Adam's adventurous and experimental approach and look forward to his upcoming releases.
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Ammar
True Ouddict
Agree…I forgot to add in my post at the end the phrase “…, although it is boring!”. May be the other benefit of the poetic reviews is that it may give the buyer that extra kick needed to purchase oil with a high price tag...or maybe not that good to the wallet at all LOL! I think the advertising stories and this kind of reviews have a strong impact on the buyer at some point in their oud journey.
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Ammar
True Ouddict
Take Sultan Abdul Hamit by Ensar for example. Actually I was thinking that the prospective concept of Si Lani is the same. SAH is exceptional oil co-distilled from sinking/very high grade Borneo and New Guinea wood with Ensar artistic twist of smoke that creats realistic image of bubbling chips on your wrist. And Borneo + NG wood ~ Walla Pata although the latter is brighter, and according to Adam Si Lani wood was sinking/high grade shavings and dust as I remember. But Oh Boy! do I even dare to compare…anyways I should stop there because I have personal soft spot on this Sultan oil.
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Ammar
True Ouddict
Feel Oud Vietnam/BIO KYARA,
Starts with mild honeyed fresh bread dough sweetness some sort of a mix between Sumatra and Thai wrapped up with green vaporous aroma that reminds me of SQ-Tiq but less dramatic and intense with added hint of freshly peeled cucumber/salary stick which is a strange note in oud. Then the heartnotes begin in a very smooth transformation where a camphoric cedar note starts to show up, the sweetness calmed down, hint of coconut chocolate resin appears like the smell of your fingers after eating a Bounty bar LOL!, and rusty metallic note and oudiness in the background all together in airy and crystalline atmosphere. At this stage the oil is transformed into some sort of perfume as jensz and JohnH noticed. A daring niche perfume if I may say trying to play with risky notes but succeeded in creating some sort of balance although still controversial, my favorite part regarding smell and performance. This stage stays for a while fading slowly to more mossy, leafy and earthy drydown with persistent camphor. Not a personal favorites as there is too much camphor to my like and it is still fresh oil but I cannot deny its complexity and uniqueness, a shape shifter…Excellent!
Note: It succeeded also in a way that it sits in the middle of the Vietnamese olfactory spectrum between the red fruit-soaked tobacco aromas of the Crassna and the bitterly sweet green vaporous crystalline aroma of the sinensis. Like some sort of Malaccensis in performance. Maybe it is this Aquilaria banaensae which is only endemic in Vietnam or A. rugosa recently found in Vietnam and northern Thailand as I read? I’m scratching my head upon what was the species of the wood went into distillation.
Starts with mild honeyed fresh bread dough sweetness some sort of a mix between Sumatra and Thai wrapped up with green vaporous aroma that reminds me of SQ-Tiq but less dramatic and intense with added hint of freshly peeled cucumber/salary stick which is a strange note in oud. Then the heartnotes begin in a very smooth transformation where a camphoric cedar note starts to show up, the sweetness calmed down, hint of coconut chocolate resin appears like the smell of your fingers after eating a Bounty bar LOL!, and rusty metallic note and oudiness in the background all together in airy and crystalline atmosphere. At this stage the oil is transformed into some sort of perfume as jensz and JohnH noticed. A daring niche perfume if I may say trying to play with risky notes but succeeded in creating some sort of balance although still controversial, my favorite part regarding smell and performance. This stage stays for a while fading slowly to more mossy, leafy and earthy drydown with persistent camphor. Not a personal favorites as there is too much camphor to my like and it is still fresh oil but I cannot deny its complexity and uniqueness, a shape shifter…Excellent!
Note: It succeeded also in a way that it sits in the middle of the Vietnamese olfactory spectrum between the red fruit-soaked tobacco aromas of the Crassna and the bitterly sweet green vaporous crystalline aroma of the sinensis. Like some sort of Malaccensis in performance. Maybe it is this Aquilaria banaensae which is only endemic in Vietnam or A. rugosa recently found in Vietnam and northern Thailand as I read? I’m scratching my head upon what was the species of the wood went into distillation.
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Ammar
True Ouddict
Feel-Oud SGKL OUD,
I think this oil is going to the right direction…When I received it months ago, it was the most intense oud I’ve ever smelled till this moment, like you don’t even bother to unscrew the cap to clearly recognize the vaporous Malaccensis oudiness not to mention taking off the wand, Malaccensis on steroids! Having said that, this vapor was so strong to my nose to the level that it inevitably masked the Cambodi Crassna wood to perform adequately, resulting in absence of discerned heartnotes and sudden collapse of the oil to the Filaria jungle dusty woodiness drydown makes it a step behind the more mature Sa Tu. Revisiting it today showed me that the piercing crystalline vaporous oudiness of Malaccensis (cf. Purple Kinam, Perkilau, Sutera Ungu, SQ-Tiq…) calmed down to yet satisfying level to the most hopeless ouddict, giving space to the Cambodi Crassna spicy sweetness to show its beauty and the strength to drag the dominant stubborn topnotes throughout the heart all the way to the basenote where it hugged and kissed the Filaria notes without their agreement LOL! The Filaria notes here are more of what I like to call it a dried jungle instead of the rainy swampy one…The flamboyant is getting older! Looking forward to revisiting it in the future….
Note: In one of our not so far conversation, Adam considers this oil as the epitome of his distillations, but I don’t know if his opinion has changed recently. For me, SGKL and Sa Tu are the simplest, clearest, and most reliable reflected image to the underlying cooked wood especially the latter, no outsiders whatsoever. Like Papa John's Pizza slogan but in this case "Better Ingredients, Better Oil."…LOL!
I think this oil is going to the right direction…When I received it months ago, it was the most intense oud I’ve ever smelled till this moment, like you don’t even bother to unscrew the cap to clearly recognize the vaporous Malaccensis oudiness not to mention taking off the wand, Malaccensis on steroids! Having said that, this vapor was so strong to my nose to the level that it inevitably masked the Cambodi Crassna wood to perform adequately, resulting in absence of discerned heartnotes and sudden collapse of the oil to the Filaria jungle dusty woodiness drydown makes it a step behind the more mature Sa Tu. Revisiting it today showed me that the piercing crystalline vaporous oudiness of Malaccensis (cf. Purple Kinam, Perkilau, Sutera Ungu, SQ-Tiq…) calmed down to yet satisfying level to the most hopeless ouddict, giving space to the Cambodi Crassna spicy sweetness to show its beauty and the strength to drag the dominant stubborn topnotes throughout the heart all the way to the basenote where it hugged and kissed the Filaria notes without their agreement LOL! The Filaria notes here are more of what I like to call it a dried jungle instead of the rainy swampy one…The flamboyant is getting older! Looking forward to revisiting it in the future….
Note: In one of our not so far conversation, Adam considers this oil as the epitome of his distillations, but I don’t know if his opinion has changed recently. For me, SGKL and Sa Tu are the simplest, clearest, and most reliable reflected image to the underlying cooked wood especially the latter, no outsiders whatsoever. Like Papa John's Pizza slogan but in this case "Better Ingredients, Better Oil."…LOL!
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Habz786
Resident Artisan & Ouddict Co-Founder
@Ammar spot on with your review, it feels like you take what i think of each oil you have reviewed and put it into words, something which i fail to do! Your notes are so accurate and on point its surley a blessing from God. I have SGKL and had to get it as taha had mentioned to keep an eye out for it. I must say that after abu thai this is Adam's next best oil for me, however i have not smelt sa tu. The piercing top note has calmed down and with age this oil will only get better! It reminds me of Berkilau, Purple kinam, Siniraja with the tsunami of oudy vapour release from the moment the bottle is uncapped. I look foward to more ouds like this good wood good oil 😎
Al Shareef Oudh
Master Perfumer
@Ammar,
I think it is an excellent case study to take on 🙂, if you want to see distillation art work this is a perfect example, and I can comfortably say you will not find another oudh oil in the market right now, with so many detailed steps involved. This type of distillation we utilise to produce oils that would be used by prime boutique perfume houses who craft perfumes for the elites.
What this process entailed is capturing what we love from those different regions and presenting them in Aasiya. This isn't a blend, this is a multi stage distillation process targeting certain notes. As this oil ages, the multitude of facets will become more apparent. The wood used in the final round was very much in line with the quality of the wood utilised in Al Shareef II.
jalil
Oud bully
Agarwood Indonesia - Fine Bengalon
Very clear and liquid oil.
Easy to wear (no barn) and to hunderstand (not a multi layers oud).
Opening zesty lemon and rapidly become sour cream/butter and nice note of frangipane.
The best of this oil is in the base, oudiness vapor of indonesian wood gently heated.
Average longevity and short projection.
For beginer who want to discover what is the scent of a classic indo oud or people like me who want to put on large swipes all the day without making a hole in the pocket.
Muhammad (agarwood indonesia owner) decided to sell it only by the tola (12ml), its his choice but its too much for me, so I organise a split of a tola in the marketplace 😉
Very clear and liquid oil.
Easy to wear (no barn) and to hunderstand (not a multi layers oud).
Opening zesty lemon and rapidly become sour cream/butter and nice note of frangipane.
The best of this oil is in the base, oudiness vapor of indonesian wood gently heated.
Average longevity and short projection.
For beginer who want to discover what is the scent of a classic indo oud or people like me who want to put on large swipes all the day without making a hole in the pocket.
Muhammad (agarwood indonesia owner) decided to sell it only by the tola (12ml), its his choice but its too much for me, so I organise a split of a tola in the marketplace 😉
Assam 3000 (EO) - I have always enjoyed this oil, but revisiting it after a binge on Taha's zero barnyard Indian oils has given me a new appreciation for it.. There is a lovely hay/leather/honey sort of notes or notes in these Indian oils that I absolutely love. Initially, the fruit aspects of Assam 3000 dominated my sensorium - revisiting it last night though the Indian character really made itself apparent - I'm so happy to have this oil! The hay/leather/honey qualities are gorgeously infused with a floral and fruit bouquet - there is a great deal of complexity here, many facets of the aroma to focus on and enjoy...
HUDHAYL. Al Shareef Oudh.
This Hindi from Al Shareef is exquisite. It starts with barn of dignified and noble character -- leather and hay and slight pasture all in balance. A combo of medicinal plus gentle smoke notes peek in. The barn is complemented with some resin and sweetness, plus spices and mentholy herbs. Maybe I detect similar notes in other Hindi oils, but they are seldom quite so fine, so complex, and in so perfect a balance as in Hudhayl. The overall profile is reminiscent of the top-notch no-longer-available classic (aged) Hindis, but whereas those oils could be flat, Hudhayl shimmers with life. It's like comparing an immobile window with a many-faceted prism rotating in the sunlight. I've worn Hudhayl twice so far, and during one wear a deep, gorgeous, decidedly floral note came to the fore and lasted a few hours. I could not identify the floral but it was one of the most beautiful, soul-touching olfactory experiences. I'm reluctant to describe the floral note in such terms because I didn't experience it the second wear, so most likely it will appear some times and not others. Which is just fine, variation is part of the discovery and adventure, plus Hudhayl is so well-wrought and complex that I imagine that any variations will be thoroughly delightful. Hudhayl suits any gender; longevity was all day (was still going strong after 12 hours).
Hudhayl has adjusted my notion of what a Hindi oil can be: I now see that a classic Hindi oil need not be only barn and brawn, but can also be spectacularly beautiful. All I can do is congratulate Al Shareef and wear Hudhayl again ASAP.
This Hindi from Al Shareef is exquisite. It starts with barn of dignified and noble character -- leather and hay and slight pasture all in balance. A combo of medicinal plus gentle smoke notes peek in. The barn is complemented with some resin and sweetness, plus spices and mentholy herbs. Maybe I detect similar notes in other Hindi oils, but they are seldom quite so fine, so complex, and in so perfect a balance as in Hudhayl. The overall profile is reminiscent of the top-notch no-longer-available classic (aged) Hindis, but whereas those oils could be flat, Hudhayl shimmers with life. It's like comparing an immobile window with a many-faceted prism rotating in the sunlight. I've worn Hudhayl twice so far, and during one wear a deep, gorgeous, decidedly floral note came to the fore and lasted a few hours. I could not identify the floral but it was one of the most beautiful, soul-touching olfactory experiences. I'm reluctant to describe the floral note in such terms because I didn't experience it the second wear, so most likely it will appear some times and not others. Which is just fine, variation is part of the discovery and adventure, plus Hudhayl is so well-wrought and complex that I imagine that any variations will be thoroughly delightful. Hudhayl suits any gender; longevity was all day (was still going strong after 12 hours).
Hudhayl has adjusted my notion of what a Hindi oil can be: I now see that a classic Hindi oil need not be only barn and brawn, but can also be spectacularly beautiful. All I can do is congratulate Al Shareef and wear Hudhayl again ASAP.
