@Rasoul S IMO we see Philipina No 1 in much the same way. We both pick up on something
comparable to a Malaysian's oudiness framework,
while the picture itself is quite abstract with no known analogues in the scent memory or in other agarwood oils; causing assessment to flow more so in imagery rather than the typical adjectives we use in the online oud platform.
@kesiro and I, two of the most celebrated and preeminent agarwood aficionados in the worldwide oud landscape, had continued dialogue into more concrete facets of P1. We both agreed that P1 is not a copper distill, that the wood employed was processed using a low heat generating, fine grind and with a low-to-midrange heat curve, pressurized, semi-full fraction distillation technique. Producing an oil with clarity and full body, with no bitter, smokey or phantom notes. I too have a small batch of dense Philippine wood by way of
@kooolaid79, and
the low heat note structure is as different to other agarwoods as kinam is different to other agarwoods. I recognize Philippine wood and Kinam as being agarwood, yet both have notes/qualities that I have yet to experience in other agarwood grades, regions or species.
@5MeO IMO it can be a function of technique, wood or a combination of both. Concerning technique, extended pre-cook soaks can affect the scent profile of the resultant oils by way of fermentation, which results in the sour, cheesy, barn-y, indolic-like, etc. notes we see in some oils. The fermentation notes in House of Misk's Assam 2016 and Ensar's Zachariyya are different from the, IMO, native indolic/animalic notes in "non-barn" Hindi's like Taha's Shano Shokat, Mahabali and Chamkeila or the native sour notes in Ensar's Kinam Rouge. IMO the fermented notes in the former oils dissipate as the oils dry down, whereas the indolic/animalic/sour notes in the later oils extend throughout the evolution of the oil. IMO and experience with Chinese oils including oils like Ceen, China Sayang, Hainan 2005, and most other Chinese oils, it's about the wood. With an oil like Chinese Exclusive I believe it to be a balance of the wood and an extended hygienic pre-cook soak with minimal fermentation.
Anecdotally, some pieces I have from Adam's Laotian sinking grade wood display different sour, animalic and/or bitter notes. However, that does not mean that all sinking Laotian agarwoods have those notes. In fact, it does not mean that all of the chunks, chips and slithers in my batch will have those notes. Another thing I find of interest is Rikkoku Gomi, with its first set introduced sometime around the 15th Century in Japan. In it woods are classified as having five tastes which are sweet, bitter, sour, spicy, and salty. In Chinese literature going back to the Song Dynasty, there were seven tastes which are sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, astringent, sour and plain (KyaraZen, 2013). KyaraZen also points out that, "the Rikkoku isn't an exhaustive categorization system for all agarwoods in the world" (KyaraZen, 2013). It is possible for different trees in the same jungle to produce agarwood with different scent characteristics. In fact, chips with different scent profiles can be found in infected parts of the same tree. An oil as the amalgamation of notes in all of the wood used to distill it and then some. IMO it is the varied amounts and permutations of sweet, bitter, sour, salty, spicy, astringent, plain, and other notes not identified by Rikkoku, that produce indolic/animalic notes in some chips, batches, trees and not others; which extends to the resultant oils without regard to soak time.
KyaraZen. (May 6, 2013). Perspectives on the Rikkoku Gomi. Retrieved from
https://www.kyarazen.com/perspectives-on-the-rikkoku-gomi/#
