Thanks for bringing up the issue, masstika. We are routinely contacted with the question of why we don’t have samples of all our oils available. Below are just some considerations which might shed some light on the issue.
We’re based in Jordan. We either receive our distillations here, or we bring them back with us. However, we are not always in Jordan. In fact, we’re frequently on the move. If we’re in the jungle or at the distillery and someone in New Zealand wants a sample, the only way to get it to them is if we have already poured, pouched, and packaged the vial beforehand. It’s impossible for us to do things on a ‘pour-as-you-go’ basis.
Another reason for not offering samples of certain oils is limited availability. If you’re thinking of samples as a means to try an oil to see if you’d like to get a full bottle, then consider Thai Encens and Thai Ambre, for example. Both sold out within about a week. If we'd offered samples, by the time someone received them the oil would have already been long gone (defeating the purpose of getting the vial). Or, right now, with only two bottles of Khao Yai II remaining and not a drop left to spare, how can we offer samples of this oil without eating into one of the full bottles for sale, and not go though the hassle of having to pour and package and process each sample order, go to DHL (in whichever small town we may find ourselves), just to send one sample out to someone? The logistics just don't work.
Whenever we have a good supply of an oil (i.e. it doesn’t fall into the ‘extremely limited’ category mentioned above), we do apportion an amount to be offered as samples. We then pour, label, pouch and package each vial, which is then sent to our fulfillment centre in Missouri, from where it goes out whenever we receive an order.
Although it might not seem that way if you take a snapshot view of our ‘Samples’ page, we’ve always offered samples of each oil we had in reasonable supply, with only two exceptions: Assam Black and Borneo Kinam. Both these oils were pre-filled into full bottles as soon as we received them, and to this day Ensar regrets not leaving some aside from which to pour samples.
Why then does it appear as though we deliberately offer samples of some products and not others? It’s not possible to know beforehand how many samples will sell, and how fast. Look at Oud Nuh, as an example. We currently only have two full bottles remaining, while we still have a few dozen sample vials left on offer as part of the LTD Collection Set. Once the last two bottles sell out, we’ll be left with a few dozen sample vials of an oil that is no longer on offer. On the other hand, we also had Kyara Koutan, where the samples sold out before the full bottles. Those who never knew about the sample see an ‘expensive’ bottle on sale without the option to try it, and then speculate about our intention for doing this. The same goes for many of our oils currently on offer [seemingly] without ever having had a sample option. Assam Organic, Oud Emerald, Chinese Exclusive Oud, etc were part of the Oudilicious Sampler, which is now sold out. It is impossible to calculate beforehand which will sell out first, the sample size or the full bottle.
Last but not least, we don’t do oud as a mere business venture. Many a merchant would hate to have inventory lying around that doesn’t move. This is not the case with Ensar Oud. Hard as it might seem to believe, Ensar Oud doesn’t operate as a mercantile set-up in the same way a pizza parlor does – the more the merrier, the faster the better. Our oils are distilled in order to stay, not so they could go. A great deal of personal effort and involvement has gone into the production of each oil, so each is dear to us.
As a painter sits in front of his canvas, his whole being is absorbed in the act of producing, of creative expression. Parting with the finished piece, like most end up doing, is never easy. A part of the artist goes along with it. But they do it in order to share their passion – to share something of those moments spent on the plane of creativity.
We are motivated and inspired to continue what we do because we’re able to introduce people to, and educate them about the fine art of distilling oud oil, and to enjoy the moments where people who know a thing or two appreciate our work. We don’t offer samples in order to entice people to buy. They are available to those who are unfamiliar with oud, allowing them a glimpse into this world. And they are available to existing oud lovers who are likely to end up with a full bottle of the oil they try anyway.
Great painters don’t show photos of their work to others, thinking ‘Will they buy it, will they buy it?’ Instead, they are hoping for a smile, a kind word, a token of appreciation – not for the hours spent sitting in front of the canvas, but for that moment when souls are joined by a shared sense of wonder.