SOTD

Aroha Kyaku today. Much better than Dhul Q in my opinion.

... & why is that ? Please explain ...

K~Ensar Oud

Saint beat me to the question but yes why do you think it's better?

Salam All,
I like the smoky sweet combination better in Aroha, I feel like once it settles down the smoky incense note lingers on in the background with the characteristic thai sweetness and it lasts much longer than Dhul Q and is more complex. The initial swipe of Aroha is almost like a trick play...making you think...ohhh this is just smoke and more smoke...but man even Bill Bellichick would bow down to this one and how it reveals itself to you slowly and at the end ....touchdown!...the dry down for several hours...just amazing.

Kinam Rouge. This is a perfect example why Vietnamese Ouds are my favorite. These ouds just transport me into another dimension of being. Gorgeous stuff.

totally agreed, to me Aroha Kyaku is of very high quality and for a while i like it much better than even oils in 500$ range on the other hand Dhul Q for me smelled like bad burned rubber very similar to few oils i got from ebay that i assume were burned during distillation.
i was really surprise to see everybody saying that they are similar.
i was glad to see that i am not alone, and was not my nose that need an alignment.

Well I have both AK and DQ and they definitely smell different but they are more similar than different. The opening is similar for both but then they quickly start to take different directions. I love them both but I probably give the nod to DQ in terms of the dry down sweetness. Bad burned rubber is not at all what I detect but you can't argue with other peoples noses. No doubt our olfactory cortexes vary from person to person.

100% Agreed ! It is very gorgeous. When I need to relax my soul _ I usually uncap the bottle of KR & get an inhale of long deep whiff ... KR never failed to relax my mind. Unparalleled. So different from others.

I have a plan to get at least 4 more bottles of it & age it for a few years. I want to enjoy it's amazing beauty.

Interesting, I like Dhul Q much better than Aroha Kyaku..

Today SOTD is Lalitya (AA) - one of my very favorite ouds ever - so much soul to this one, highly unique scent profile..

Dhul Q is deliciously enjoyable ! I always regret that I could get only 2 bottles of it. It wasn't wise decision which I realized later when it's gone. I should have get minimum 10 bottles of it. Even I mixed a blend of TR+Sultan Sufiyan+Dhul Q which is very incensy. Which also lasts very long. Dhul Q type Cambodian oud is not very rare but the total spectrum of DQ is very much balanced with it's resinous depth & the delicious smoky vibe. To me it's kinda 'Smoky darker brother of Sultan Sufiyan'.

I only had a sample of Aroha Kiyaku which I didn't test much. I blended that with Oud Yusuf which became pretty much enjoyable.

Interesting discussion about Aroha Kyaku and Oud Dhul Q.
I have both and both are beloved. The AR has incense in the beginning and towards the middle, you get a very sweet sensation which totally is the opposite of the beginning. Very long lasting and the dry down is incensy/sweet.
However the Oud Dhul Q starts off strong with a incense type note in the beginning and slowly turns into somewhat sweet tobacco towards the middle and at the end it's left with just sweetness which in my opinion is a notch better then AK.
At the end, it's ones own preference of what they like!

Koool, your take on AK and DQ mirrors mine very closely.

Thank you Sir! Just my honest opinion on both the Oudhs!

Brilliant !
& // it's ones own preference of what they like // ... seems like Tigerwood 95 vs TR. But each one has it's own appeal. I regret that I didn't buy AK.

Totally fine, escaped with only light bruising. I was her layer of blubber, you see.

Hi Koool, the great thing, is having both,
they are both "Top Notch" smoky oils.
The pressure and challenge is on Ensar now, can the Chef cook another oil to join that echelon

Alright dude. Seriously. I went KR as well. Complex scent. So beautiful. I am heading back in for an unfilled night shift. Will add something to beautiful KR

Hate those night shifts. You are going to have to 'arm' up big time!

Last night... Kinamantan Nankun Kodo (SP w/EO)

The best Japanese incense fragrance I've ever experienced... At first I didn't know exactly what it was, but definitely noticed the crystalline green kinam note and rich agarwood notes the regular Nankun Kodo did not have. Later Sultan Pasha told me what it was... I was wondering how he accomplished this, is Kinamantan an actual kinam oil? I figure this would be the best place to get details...