trio of oil samples from imperial oud.
nha Trang ultima, a 2011 distillation
it is a very nice, clean, true to general Vietnam character, pleasant and super wearable. but it ends there for me. the true old growth nha trang i know in wood form, this is not. a great minty bittersweet note. clean. squeaky clean yet devoid of the real oudy oud oomph. one can say Gen 4 like and like many of taha's upper mid tier oils. The aging of the oil has greatly helped it and those super young volatile cantaloupe and fruity openings notes are all but gone. Well done! other respected noses have loved this more than i have. i likely would have loved it even more if it wasnt for my exposure to the best of nha trang wood, incense and oil.
cambodi enigma a new few months old distillation
it is legit. not my thing but mad respect to churn out a vintage, old days Cambodia. it is not like the tutti fruiti pretty things coming out these days from plantation or young wood.
hainan ultima a 2016 distillation
take a seat everyone. you are in the presence of greatness here. hainan ultima is a knock out. it is indeed a legit oil. it is devoid of the oriscent signature to my nose (the comparison has been brought up by some respected noses) but i can totally see the similarity and comparison. well done. the first 2 hours have been a fun, intellectual and stimulating ride. 10 minutes after application, this oil has the very core of ensar’s hainan 05 (that pheromonal, musky, feral note that is very addictive, tenacious and clings to your sinuses) but in a much more nuanced way. personally, I even prefer this. i lvoe hainan 05 for studyign but is too bold for me to wear and basque in its glory. 20 minutes after application there is more than a suggestion of kinam rouge note here. that red laced, tobacco, mineral, bittersweet note. Achieving the heart of the sinesis note minus peanuts and baby corn note is no easy feet. Ditto the lack of bitter root veg, damp soil and that overt boozy note. oud lovers of all walks but sinesis or vietnam/old school cambodi/chinese lovers must take a look at this oil for themselves. highly recommended. shah jahan may still be slightly edging over this oil for me as the best IO oil to date, but thats just subjective to me. objectively speaking this oil is far superior.