A special traditional distillation that has been quietly macerating since 2021, I'm excited to finally release this gorgeous, all-natural Shamamah Amber attar in sandalwood oil, one of ancient India's finest aromatic achievements in my humble opinion.
Shamama / Shamamatul Amber attars are complex, labour-intensive affairs that can take up to a month to distill in ancient copper ‘deg and bhapka’ pots, but the results are nothing short of a masterpiece of olfactory art by India's ancient perfume artisans.
Each distilling family have their own secret recipe, but Shamamah's ingredients typically include exotic florals, woods, and spices such as oud, rose, jasmine, saffron, spikenard, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, pandanus, and sandalwood among a whole host of other natural ingredients.
Scent-wise, I really enjoy this Shamamah as its notes are so finely balanced, opening up with a gorgeously diffusive bouquet of airy and musky amberiness before slowly settling down to a bed of contrasting resins, florals and spices.
Overall, the scent isn't as heavy with dark base notes as some others are (which I also enjoy), but instead this takes you on a beautiful journey laden with ambers, musks, spices, florals and earthy notes that are diffusive and warm without being cloyingly heavy or sweet in any way.
One of my all-time favourite attars from Kannauj’s ancient distilleries, Shamamah Amber is gorgeous worn neat as an attar or as a mid/base note ingredient in natural perfume blends.
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Collection:Â Kannauj Chronicles
In the Kannauj Chronicles, I explore and share with you the wonderful natural oils and attars of India’s historic perfume capital, Kannauj. The oils in this collection are pure botanical extracts and attars distilled in sandalwood oil by some of Kannauj's most renowned and trusted artisans, who share our passion for distilling the highest quality of aromatics and attars.
These attars are distilled using the ancient ‘deg and bhapka’ apparatus; a traditional distilling method largely unchanged for 400 years. I hope you enjoy these breathtaking scents of nature from a bygone era, an era fast being forgotten in today's race towards modernity and industrialisation at all costs.
Nasra nasra –
Ash –
Recently purchased this Attar and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and beautiful smell. You can tell it’s a good quality oil as it lasts on the skin for the day even after washing. A quick sniff now then just to lift the spirits!!