Oud Cambodi E.O (7 YEAR AGED)

Adam Michael has this to say “Many years ago, (2014) I was sent a tiny sample vial of Cambodian Oud essential oil. It became apparent very quickly that what I had in my possession, was without question, the most multi layered, deeply complex and stupendously beautiful base note aromatic I had ever encountered. I would go on to have a little adventure offering this material (with the help of a third party) to my clients who all sang its praises. Fast-forward to 2019 and I finally have started to get my own supply chain for oud setup.

So I think it is significant and only proper of me, to start this adventure (15/06/19) by making sure the first oud I introduce is again Cambodian material. Regarding the photo, I also wanted to pay homage to Cambodia beyond the obvious photo of our bottle, and have opted for a photo from the world famous and breathtakingly beautiful archaeological site called Angkor Wat.

OK, so Cambodian Oud Essential Oil, first what I have here is plantation material and essentially of organic status minus the certification.

The opening is a master class, displaying potent agrestic woody nuances, that resemble being inside a carpenters work room, the smell of freshly varnished furniture, cresole stained overalls, saw dust and wood shavings everywhere. And within this mash up of scent, you find a delicate sweet fruit melody, dark incense, spiced woods and peppery tinges. This is the general vibe of the aroma for two to three hours and again let me just say… WOW.

Slowly but surely on this journey, you encounter what I would describe as very subtle smoky facets, partially dry woods, moss qualities and something resembling the smell of old paper. To put that into a better context, this new wave of aroma is comparable to the smoky qualities found within Birch White, the dried out woody complexities found within Nookta, the mossy and forest floor character you find within tree moss and the old paper notes so easily found when smelling papyrus absolute. And within all this never ending bombardment of scents, you still detect the sweet juicy and somehow saturated fruit character that I find exclusive to ouds, wafting in and out of the aroma profile.

The sweetened fruity character slowly starts to take you into the next and final phase, slowly moving into a golden syrupy direction, barnyard and skanky nuances also becoming apparent as you move closer to the dry down. For me barnyard means in this instance, smelling the body of a horse, and skanky as in a faecal and animalic sense.

To sum up, one single drop of Cambodian Oud Essential Oil on my skin has lasted for just under 6 hours and in that time I have gone through so many aromatic gears, I have experienced so many scents, each and every one of them working harmoniously with the next. Intimate yes, but the aroma is still such that when I am inside or outside, hot or cold weather, my immediate environment is all soul calming oud.

I do want to add, after sampling lots of ouds, chiefly wild ouds from many acclaimed sources, it truly surprised me that of all the barnyard ouds I would sample,  that it would be plantation material I would fall truly in love with. My verdict, 10 out of 10 material, and I applaud the producer for what is true aromatic art in the most captivating form.”

Botanical Name: Aquilaria crassna

Origin: Cambodia

Plantation Material (7 Years Aged as of February 2023)

Wholesale weights (all prices excluding vat): 100G = 2150 Euros.