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Malinau Emas
From a region sought-after far and wide, I’m proud to offer you this beautiful distillation of the prized wild oud of Malinau, one of the crown jewels of the island of Borneo.
Malinau Emas opens up with a soft powderiness that reminds me of Kannauj’s Henna flower – Lawsonia inermis – distillations, with their wonderfully powdery and ‘yellow’ scent. It’s a rich and fuzzy yellow that conjures up images of endless rolling fields of sweet wild flowers, sunshine and hay, all contrasted by a subtle green-mango tanginess that balances it out beautifully.
Alongside this almost powdery texture, Malinau also has a light and airy muskiness about it à la Ceylon’s walla pattas. It’s a muskiness that feels jungly, yes, but almost smells of the ocean’s breeze at the same time; as if it’s the scent of the towering jungle canopy meeting with the ocean’s waves across a sandy strip of beach.
Besides these beautiful facets, I also detect vanillic, incensey, woody and earthy notes as the oil progresses, accompanied by a touch of green mintiness as its oudy heart starts to come through before eventually reaching a soft woody drydown.
Overall, a beautiful artisanal distillation from the wild jungles of Malinau, and for those that have not experienced this Bornean profile before, one that I would very highly recommend.
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Sumbawa
Perhaps one of the darkest ouds I've come across to date, this gorgeous Gyrinops Versteegii comes to you from Sumbawa island in Indonesia, part of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain that also includes Komodo, the land of Komodo dragons.
Largely forgotten to history, Sumbawa was once witness to one of the greatest natural events of the modern era, and yet one that few know about today.
On the 10th of April, 1815, Mount Tambora, a volcano on the north side of Sumbawa island erupted. It was one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded human history, and one of only several such VEI-7 eruptions in the last 2,000 years.
Such was the intensity of the blast that it was heard 2,600 kilometres away, and triggered a period of global cooling known as the "year without a summer" in 1816, causing failed harvests and extreme weather conditions worldwide. Anyways, a fascinating history that I thought was worth sharing, but back to the oud.
Almost as if still living in the shadow of Mount Tambora's volcanic eruption, this ultra-thick oil opens up with a broodingly dark, wet and smoky earthiness; like the pitch black silence of a charred jungle floor; balanced by a lightly vanillic and spicy undercurrent, which together combine to create an incense-like quality that is simply beautiful.
As the scent progresses, it becomes more spicy and woody with a hint, perhaps, of the deep, dark and soily water of Southeast Asia's water-logged mangroves. Largely, however, it retains its vanillic, spicy, woody and earthy heart with a hint of smoke through to the drydown.
A zero-soaked, artisanal undertaking with no barn or fermentation notes, Oud Sumbawa is the older brother to Borneo Tarakan, but without the former's green-tinged heart and instead slightly more smoke, spice and earth. A gorgeous oil for those in search of dark, incensey and ultra-jungly ouds.
Malinau Hijau
When it comes to the world of oud, there’s a rare shade that catches the eye.
Hijau as they call it in Malay. Akhdarr. Green. The shimmering jade of the oud world that’s as rare as it sounds and always a treat.
But not all green gaharus are the same of course. There’s the green oceanic marine of the Ceylons, the green cola-jungle vibes of the Acehnese, and the green bitter-cacao incensiness of the Meraukes.
And then there’s this hijau.
Where the other greens dive with you to the dark depths of oceans and incense-laden jungles, this takes you very much in the opposite direction. Up and up for a breath of fresh air, high above the waves and wilderness, and up into the cotton-candied clouds of Malinau’s air.
It doesn’t smell of cotton-candied clouds, of course (?) but opens up instead with a beautiful airiness, a soft powdery cloud of bergamot-like citrus alongside wildflowers and honey, all underpinned by the tiniest hint of violet leaf’s green powderiness in the background.
With time, this incredible opening slowly settles and gains in sweetness, slightly resembling to me the tart and powdery scent of raspberries, or a mysterious narcotic floral of the tropics, before eventually arriving at its sweet green oudy drydown.
Artisanally distilled from high grade wild Malinau oud, the result is nothing short of sensational. One waft of this will tell you all you need to know about why true Malinau is one of the most sought-after profiles of Borneo - itself replete with many other treasured regions - and why its gorgeous old gaharus are only getting rarer with every passing year.
Wild Oud Sample Set
This Wild Oud Oil Sample Set includes tiny micro-vial samples (approximately 2 drops) of each of the oud oils currently in store, as well as unscented toothpicks for application. The oils (and cost of this set) will change depending on their availability.
My aim is to make these sample sets very affordable so that you can test as many oils as possible before deciding to go for full bottles. The quantity in each vial is small but sufficient for at least two wears in my estimation.
The current wild oud oils included in this set are:
• Malinau Hijau
• Sumbawa
• Aceh Flora
• Choron
• Sylhet Orchard
• Golden Sylhet
You can read more about each of these oils on their individual listings.
Just to emphasise again, many of these oils are limited and can go out of stock quickly; therefore this list will be subject to change depending on availability of oils. I will of course update this list with any changes (including price) so that you know what you're getting.
Notes:
• The image is for illustration only, it does not show the number/colour/profile of oils you will receive.
Sylhet Orchard
Hailing from the rolling hills of Sylhet in Bangladesh, a picturesque region resplendent with lush tea gardens and tropical rainforests, this is most definitely NOT Hindi oud as you know it.
For most of us, traditional Hindi oud means barnyard and animalics. Love-it-or-hate-it affairs that are simply irreplaceable to their seasoned fans, and just downright offensive to everyone else.
Enter Sylhet Orchard, an artisanal distillation that showcases what high grade, wild Bengali oud can actually smell like. Gathered predominantly from the jungles of Sylhet Division and distilled using a special setup with zero fermentation, this oud firmly closes the door of the barn behind it and takes you on a summery sunshine-filled stroll amongst Sylhet’s fragrant orchards and hills.
Remarkably similar to excellent Thai or Cambodi oils, the scent opens up with a warm concoction of dark stewed fruits, honey, cinnamon and plums with a delicate tanginess reminiscent of green sultanas and hay perhaps, all streaming out together like the sun-ripened harvest of a luscious, fragrant orchard.
As the scent progresses, the green sultana-like tanginess comes to the forefront alongside a leathery facet, balancing out the profile beautifully against the sweet stewed fruits, before eventually reaching a light minty and sweet woody drydown.
Despite being a Bengal distillation, it’s amazing how Cambodian and Thai-esque this smells, but with a warm and radiantly yellow hue to it, and a beautifully rich and intense profile unlike many of today’s cultivated offerings from those regions.
Distilled in the first half of 2021, Sylhet Orchard has been ageing with me for several months now and already its profile has become a lot more beautiful and rounded, with the harsh edges disappearing and its profile becoming sweeter and richer, and it will continue to mature with time of course.Â
So, if you’re in search of an outstanding and unique distillation that will challenge your perception of what a Bengal oud can be... or can’t be, or you’re simply looking for a gorgeously pretty oud masquerading à la perfume to wear on the London Underground or NYC’s subway, I would highly recommend you try this.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
This is a ‘bright’ oud both in the color and the smell. The scent to me is powdery, grain like at the first minute, but soon it develops into a pleasant fruity scent like raw mango and citron, on top of a bright, minty and woody background. A lovey oud.
Jonathan –
I found this oud a little twangy, with a high-strung almost nervy quality I associate with newer distillations. I imagine it’ll settle nicely over time, and as is there’s a lovely woody incense that comes out in the drydown. Just needs some time to mature, I expect.
Nasra nasra –
Yusuf Abdullah (store manager) –