SOTD

It was Tigerwood 1990 for Friday prayer today. While the profile is not as pristine as its Tigerwood cousins ‘95 and Royale, it’s a manly oil that projects like no other. I usually have to dab right under my nose to get the full effect of Oud. With this one, a swipe across my lower beard and a dot on my wrist and I keep getting wonderful whiffs every time I move.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Yesterday; Hainan Ultima by IO, by far the best hainan and the best IO I have ever tried!

Agarwood Assam, Meitei;
I got a gentle fermentation notes in the opening, a little bit red/rusty orange; that's the kind of fermented note I can enjoy! (I can't say that I Love that kind of notes, but I can appreciate it.) Then, I find the color of the oil opaque. I got rusty, brown and black. I got this fermented notes that slowly turn to be what people call leathery, but it's very subtle.
I find the smell of the background very dusty, like the smell of a incense ash paste, and a little bit of resin.
The smell is very dense and dark, it's interesting for that, and it's probably a pretty good offering for that kind of oud.
But they are not my style anymore.
hey simon!

agreed on hainan ultima being the best Imperial offering along with shahjahan. however as best hainan (not that there is such a thing), i encourage you to save up and see what royal kinam 2.0 is all about. sooooo many tiers above ultima that is almost unfair to say both come from same place. the good news is quite frankly 1/4 of the wear amount of royal kinam comapred to other oils like ultima is more than enough. so in some ways it is actually not all that expensive b/c sooooo little of the oil is needed to get a proper read on it.

on that note here is a bit more about royal kinam 2.0:
i am 3 wears in. distinctly an oriscent oil. shares the same classic bitter medicinal, endlessly deep, piercing while fat and round on the top quality that all oriscent oils seem to have. i do wonder how much of that is the result of the aging vs method of disttilation. likely both.

while kyara ltd for example has many distinct yet cohesive accords to it, royal kinam like nha trang ltd is monotone but what a tone.... it is indeed kinam and chinese kinam to be exact. the scent is very very close to old growth proper hainan and hong kong wood ( i procured via KZ and also in incense stick form from legenary Wu Shuang Ge) to my nose and with my experience. a gently cooling note is wrapped around bittersweet, mind tingling, elating yet grounding quality. these tier oils to me are equally if not more about the place they take you than the actual scent. they are truly like a shuttle transport the wearer. in this case i get mental images of a monestary on top of a hill in a non tropic jungle. more of a central china/japan imagery comes to mind vs. lets say thailand or cambodia.

while the kinam note is even more distinct in hailam ltd., somehow i actually enjoy royal kinam 2.0 more. lucky me cause iirc hailam ltd is a $5+K oil.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
suka cita, a high grade suamtran oil from agar aura was the scent of the morning. same cola notes seen in some malay oils along with incredibly high fequency notes of citrus zest and cirtus soda. sobering, energizing and pretty. a wow oil that literally goes right to your head.

aceh candan, another sumatran oil from ensar is what i have on now that i am home from work. virtually no resemblance or shared notes between them. in the case of aceh candan, we know the species is hirta, while if i trust my nose, suka cita like royal sumatra is a maleccensis species. either way, aceh candan has a white pepper funk in its core while purple marshland/lake floral notes like lotus mingle with a vegetal green note. there is a pond profile and algea blue green purple profile at play.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Was that the micro batch oil that Ensar described as “a never before smelled flower,” or something to that effect?
Yup. Quite different than pretty much any other oud. The Algea/pond/ decomposed végétation note is not for me but the rest of the notes are pretty unusually awesome. Indeed a purple floral note that is not iris, violet, lilac or any actual flower I have smelled. Closest would be a lotus flower. Maybe closer to blue lotus while bot actually sharing any blue lotus notes. I know i don’t sound clear but that’s just cause is very hard to try and describe this profile.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Spoiled myself last night before bed: small wear of royal guallam. Indeed a beast and shares much of the feel and profile of nha trang Ltd until you actually wear the latter and then all of a sudden royal guallam morphs inward and can barely be smelled! Just goes to show you how insanely from another world nha trang Ltd is from. Royal guallam can easily wipe out 99% of the oud out there yet in presence of NT Ltd it is a shadow of itself. Vietnam is the holly grail. How I wish I had a tola of each of these nectars.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Mostafa VII wow today its so chinese im comparing to sample to Yunnan Ex :D
heavennnnnnn
Indeed. When I think of the most complex shape shifter oils kinam rouge, mostafa7 and american our comes to mind. Mostafa7 is a true sultan in my eyes. Massive heft, teen, mid and baseball cranked up. Way up. Interplay if China/India notes are perfect much like in chugoku yet completely different profile.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Royal kinam 2.0 again.

Can’t get enough. Spectacular oil. An entire cosmos captured in a tiny v vial.
Almost the depth and weight of nha trang Ltd but with longer lasting top notes and a more shimmering quality. The unraveling is the notes from that “red” “blue steak” oriscent, to a strong bitter medicinal profile, to that insanely satisfying sweeeeeeeet sinesis heart. Oh my. I knew I would enjoy it but I am absolutely loving it!
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. Pardon my absence and brevity tonight. I’ll be back with some back posts and reply backs to posts here and privately.
I do have a good excuse. i had our little boy for a week while mama was on a work trip, as u can imagine he kicked the crap out of me in the energy department. So i has no time to myself. Mama is back now for last few days yet I haven’t posted. Why again? This time cause I was blissing out night after night on these nectars: royal kinam 2.0. Kyara Ltd 2.0. Kannan Koh and oud sultani juxtaposed. Oud ahmad joined party and so did twr. It was a vintage long gone malay era party. And then it was the sultan series night. The NG Co distills: salahudin. Abdus selam. Suleyman. Beyazit. Abdul hamit. Holly molly. These are guaranteed to be future legends the way kannan koh and LTD. Oils are to us today! Another topic for another day.

I’ll be back to share some thoughts on these but I’ll leave you with one little nugget. Royal kinam 2.0 must be on everyone’s list. Truly. Ahead of other names. Not saying it is decided and Royal kinam is the winner of all time, no, not that. But it is the most likable and easier to grasp of top ensar/oriscent oils. First to go for from above list. Easily. I’ll share more when i go an a mi I kid fast. Probably in a 1-2 days.