Oud Idrees

#1
Oud Idrees has recently launched on Ensar's website. Some here have tried this oil (and own a bottle), others have not. I personally have a bottle in reserve for me, and I can't wait to try it. However, previous to reading Ensar's description of Idrees, I did not know anything about it beyond the fact that it is Bhutanese Oud.

It made me very curious about how Idrees was distilled. Ensar, would you be interested in talking about the distillation process for Oud Idrees? Would it not be extremely difficult to distill the ghubal into oil?
 
#3
@Oudiferous - In his description of the now sold out East Kalimantan Ltd, Taha mentions the extraction of gubal rich agarwood as follows:

There are essentially two aromatic substances in agarwood: VOC's and the oleoresin. The oleoresin is a combination of oil and gubal (resin). Typical high quality distillation techniques extract the VOC's and the aromatic oil. while the resin is hardly extracted. In fact more often than not, the resin poses a problem for the distiller because it prevents the wood fibers from being fully penetrated and thus reduces the yield of the oil. The better the grade of wood used, the greater the risk that the resin will prevent oil extraction.

Employing rarely used distillation techniques, our clever distiller produced East Kalimantan LTD, a high grade pure oud oil distilled from gubal-rich wood, boasting a resinuous character that would turn any Papua oud green with envy.
I am guessing similar distillation methods were used to distill Oud Idrees from ghubal rich agarwood.

I also suspect the Borneo Noir was extracted in a similar fashion from agarwood rich in ghubal content. However, in this instance Taha may have chosen to refer to the wood as 'sinking grade' instead.

I must stress this is purely speculation and guesswork on my part and I would love to hear the thoughts of both Ensar and Taha on this fascinating subject.
 
#4
Can anyone who has sampled Oud Idrees give me an idea of what kind of scent profile it is?
Ensar's description mentions that Idrees comes from Aquilaria Agallocha, which is the same species of Aquilaria native to India. I would approximate (from the mere facts) that Idrees shares something of the scent profile of Indian Oud, in its depth and resinous full-bodied character. It is unlikely that it would display Cambodian notes, given that Cambodian Oud oil comes from Aquilaria Crassna, and it certainly would not boast Borneo characteristics. But as we all know, many Ouds contain notes from all three of these regions, and from what I can guess, Idrees must boast a unique scent profile beyond regional specificity (much like Kyara Koutan).

Mr Oud, thanks for posting Taha's description of East Kalimantan's distillation process. It seems that it is obviously possible to distill ghubal into oil, but very difficult. I'm surprised that Idrees gave a yield of 15 tolas, when the recent Khao Yai and Thai Encens Experiments did not give close to that yield (and my understanding is that the wood that went into those Experiments was very high quality incense-grade wood, hence the low yield). It would be interesting to compare and note the differences between that wood and what Ensar is referring to with Idrees. I say he is going a step further in proclaiming it as "ghubal in a bottle". It seems to indicate a step further than "incense-grade", so clarification would be fascinating.

But even more intriguing about Idrees is the purity of the environment within which it was harvested, and its incredible age! I haven't come close to smelling this oil yet, but it sounds to me like it could be one of the best ones yet.
 

ibn

New Member
#5
Ensar's description mentions that Idrees comes from Aquilaria Agallocha, which is the same species of Aquilaria native to India. I would approximate (from the mere facts) that Idrees shares something of the scent profile of Indian Oud
@oudiferous: i recall ensar stating that the scent profile of Indian oud comes from the extended soaking prior to distillation, so i am not sure that you are making a reasonable assumption based on the mere facts.
Or perhaps it was taha that said that, i can not recall for sure.

@ensar: i love the way the top notes of Borneo 3000 unfold. Will Idrees make me look at Borneo 3000 as a mere step on the path ?

-- ibn futuwwah
 
#6
Oudiferous, i recall Ensar stating that the scent profile of Indian oud comes from the extended soaking prior to distillation, so i am not sure that you are making a reasonable assumption based on the mere facts.
Or perhaps it was Taha that said that, i can not recall for sure.

-- ibn futuwwah
You are correct, it was Ensar who stated this. I should clarify that I do not think Idrees would have a similar profile to Indian Oud, I doubt it has any barnyard, animalic, or fecal characteristics. But I only meant to point out that it comes from the same species of Aquilaria tree, and that it does border Assam, and probably resembles something of the full-bodied and resinous qualities we find in Indian Oud oil, as opposed to Cambodis, or Borneo oils--but more likely it is in a profile of its own. I doubt it falls conveniently into any of the regional profiles.
 

ibn

New Member
#7
But I only meant to point out that it comes from the same species of Aquilaria tree, and that it does border Assam, and probably resembles something of the full-bodied and resinous qualities we find in Indian Oud oil, as opposed to Cambodis, or Borneo oils--but more likely it is in a profile of its own.
in sha Allah Ensar will send us all a sample so we can clear up this mystery !

-- ibn futuwwah

@oudiferous: in sha Allah it will 'fall conveniently' into my mailbox soon :)
 

ibn

New Member
#9
That is pretty funny ibn. I see Bhutan sits to the north of the border of Assam and Sikkim.
@edward: we are so fortunate to sit here in front of our computers able to send large sums of money to merchants and
artisanal distillers in the far corners of the world, for the rarest and most precious things in the world, things which have been held sacred by the highest
and oldest traditions, and then yack about the nuances of this one or that one, the regional distinctions, the top notes, the different species, the
geographic variations, the distillation processes ...

In some way, the hindi ouds serve to remind me that we all are only so far from the barnyard, fecal primitive state of
existence in which some of the greatest prophets of all time have lived and flourished. They transmute this state into the divine, just as good hindi oud transmutes the primitive into the divine.

I am humbled in the presence of such things. They are tools of sacred pursuits. Each has its own place in the scheme of human development.

--ibn futuwwah
 

ibn

New Member
#11
Oud ... my wrist is stuck to my nose, my mind is exploding ...

ambergris is a lens that magnifies and focuses.

5 minutes later ...

misk warms, deepens, comforts, excites ...

that leaves rose and sandalwood ...

just a drop of rose de mai ... takeoff !
rksons sandlewood ... fragrant foundation.

context: DS hindi chips on a mermaid magikal arts electric burner.


in sha Allah, I am being transported ! Is this the scent of the prophet ?
I am breathless !

next day: i don't know if that was the scent of the prophet or whether there was profit in some of the scents but it would make a nice mukhallat recipe.



--ibn futuwwah
 
#12
I was hesitant to try Oud Idrees because earlier in the day I had tried the Crassana Cha Oud oil and I didn't want to mix the scents. While the Crassana has faded it stood no chance against the almighty Idrees. Full fledged classical Indian Oud profile. It is like confronting an insurmountable force of Nature, it asserts itself on you. forcing you to slow down and clear your mind. It must be psychoactive because it makes the mind go into the Theta zone as When relaxing when the mind enters a region that correlates with a large relative quantity of brain wave patterns of 4 to 7 cycles per second. almost sleep. One salient character about this oil is Fecaliousness (not a real word :) ). It is sweet earth that has been readied for planting by an oxen pulling blade. vanilic camphor-y scent that comes only from a Royal Barnyard where moist darkened resin loaded wood sit fermenting away in the shadow. The scent is one that has a lot of dark figs and dates that has been mashed together and slightly heated. This is an Oil that says I love you...I hate you at the same time. How could that be? Well, It's complex. It's overbearing with intensity but at the same time it's that fatherly love that you can't do without. I am not pron to hyperbole and exaggeration but this is one Hindi variety oil that is truly a personal trove of treasures. I can imagine spending long evenings with this oil going down the scent lane and discovering new cinnamon,cloves and spice laden alleys or sitting back in an Incense smoke filled cafes. I understand why Ensar wanted to keep it for himself. This is what people might consider as "Personal Stash". so definitely big thanks for sharing. now a word of warring this is not an oil for the faint of heart but rather for the man/women with a Lion's heart (approach with cautious :) ). Of course the question on a lot of people's mind is "well, how does it compare to Mostafa, Nuh and Khidr?" It's not fruity or extroverted like Mostafa nor is it laid back and well behaved like Nuh or dark and resin-y like Khidr but it's the RAWest and the most Primordial with an amazing punch. I'll have to come later for more observations on the dry down notes which does not seem to be any where in sight
 
#14
Hello Masstika. Any second thoughts or feelings on Oud Idrees? impressive review. I am a fan of Mostafa and Kyara Koutan. Do you think I would like this oil? It sounds impressive and deep! Sounds like this oil has some soul to it.
 
#16
Hello Masstika. Any second thoughts or feelings on Oud Idrees? impressive review. I am a fan of Mostafa and Kyara Koutan. Do you think I would like this oil? It sounds impressive and deep! Sounds like this oil has some soul to it.
My two favorites too. Sounds like Idrees is right up our alley. Mine is shipping out tomorrow :)
 
#18
I know masstika briefly mentioned about a comparison between Oud Idrees and Oud Khidr. I was wondering if anyone else has had the chance to compare these two. I would love to read more opinions. Thanks.
 
#19
epidoc ,Kidr is dark ,smokey spicy and chestnut. it is not a tipical hindi in my opinion.
Idrees has completely different,other profile !
Idrees is more brilliant, there is more life in it than Kidr.
 
#20
I just received Oud Idrees today. Having recently experienced Khidr I can say that they are both clearly Indian oils. Where Khidr is dark and secluded, Idrees is bright and expansive. Idrees is the brilliance of the morning sun, Khidr is the depth of a full moon night.

Review of Idrees coming up soon, incredible oil!