9 Year Aged Patchouli ABSOLUTE (Damp Cellar)

Adam Michael has to say “The story with this one goes as follows. When I lived in the UK I purchased this absolute from a well respected producer in France, via a distributor. The French company has operations in Indonesia where they make patchouli aromatics. Can you guess who it is? !! This absolute was produced in September 2015 (original canister is marked with production date) and I would have bought this the same year. As its now 7th June 2024 as I type, that makes this absolute close to 9 years aged, barring a few months.

So why haven’t I sold it until now. Good question. Because the French company sold me a truly substandard patchouli absolute and when I asked to return this, I was told no chance – you bought it, now it’s your problem. Real classy.

And so, the years have passed by one after another and occasionally when I’m looking through my non-released curiosities, I check this absolute to understand how its ageing. Well, after a massive 9 years of ageing – and with zero thanks to the corporate – I’m happy to type that this absolute has at long last morphed into a luscious, gourmand, layer complex, fruity-beauty with a mouldy cellar quality in the backbone that gives this aromatic charm, personality and unique character. Something only aging can make possible for materials such as patchouli.

The aroma profile in more detail – we have damp mouldy cellar smelling nuances here, damp books, fenchyl alcohol vibes, decay and somewhere in its DNA you find classic fruity, (almost Thai oud style fruity), fruit boozy, green leafy, woody components. Minty facets are here as well along with traces of incense, medicinal qualities – davana absolute (totally different to E.O), agrestic nuances – aged tobacco, hay, also and bizarrely, green coffee effects, some cocoa, Jade wood, nagarmotha, animalic ouds, liquorice, rhatanay root, aged Civet, aged leather, shoe polish and trace smoke tonalities. You even have blue lotus character here in the form of those Crayola crayon qualities that form the backbone of Nymphaea caerulea – so actually water lily aromatics.

To sum up this is a quirky patchouli with a full spectrum of scent for you to deep dive into. A top notch base note aromatic and definitely one for the fellow patchouli-heads and for anyone who wants to smell first hand what all the fuss is about with aged patchouli aromatics.

And keep in mind we are talking here about an aged absolute too, not an e.o. Written because you find many that get wax lyrical about aged patchouli essential oils – rightly so – especially concerning aged Indian Patchouli e.o, yet you can achieve those results more or less by buying a bottle of patchouli abs with little to zero ageing behind it. This bad boy is an aged absolute and for me, this is an entirely superior proposition when you want to see (smell) how far a patchouli aromatic can push the boundaries of scent. This is THE PATCHOULI you want and need in your collection. The price here represents excellent value for money. So if you are brand new to the world of aromatics or are a seasoned pro, treat yourself whilst you can as these opportunities do not come around very often.

Uses, well aromatically this is a patchouli of old in every sense of the word and as such I think a lot of older texts regarding uses will really apply here. Definitely a brilliant fixative, blends wonderfully with balsam tolu, opoponax, amber creations,  lavenders, ouds, roses, tobaccos and countless more aromatics really. Brilliant in conjunction with Fenchyl for recreating the smell of old paper, old books, damp cold cellar effects, useful for improving old woody notes, building Oriental bases, pairs great with oakmoss and another patchouli that can help with building forest floor accords as well. If you try this, please take a few minutes after evaluating it to leave a review please : ). ”

Botanical Name: Pogostemon cablin

Origin: Indonesia

Alcohol Soluble: Yes 

Oil Soluble: Yes