Black Friday @ EO
- Thread starter Ensar Oud
- Start date
I would definitely put Taha's Byakudan and Tan Xiang, together with Santal Royale, as among the best artisan distilled sandalwood in the recent years! [emoji4]
Interestingly, I have been going through my sandalwood oil collection for the last few days. After some bad experience with a couple of vintage oils, I began to totally agree with Taha that the only saving grace for vintage oils is the high quality of the wood used. Throw in poor distillation method and improper storage, and they are not any better than newly distilled but beautifully crafted artisan oils.
I have a recent discussion with Oudamberlove on whether is it worth paying so much for a sandalwood oil over Oud. If you think about it, there is never a shortage of options in buying Oud, when you have price ranging from cheap to expensive and quality from average to soul stirring. But the options are depressing far and few even for a decent sandalwood oil, let alone a high quality one. [emoji57]
I am just glad to have acquired so many beautiful sandalwood oils in my collection and they are as precious to me as my Oud collection. [emoji4]
Interestingly, I have been going through my sandalwood oil collection for the last few days. After some bad experience with a couple of vintage oils, I began to totally agree with Taha that the only saving grace for vintage oils is the high quality of the wood used. Throw in poor distillation method and improper storage, and they are not any better than newly distilled but beautifully crafted artisan oils.
I have a recent discussion with Oudamberlove on whether is it worth paying so much for a sandalwood oil over Oud. If you think about it, there is never a shortage of options in buying Oud, when you have price ranging from cheap to expensive and quality from average to soul stirring. But the options are depressing far and few even for a decent sandalwood oil, let alone a high quality one. [emoji57]
I am just glad to have acquired so many beautiful sandalwood oils in my collection and they are as precious to me as my Oud collection. [emoji4]
This is something I've often wondered about; are there many grades of sandalwood and if so, are the oils made from them able to display differences in scent profile as we see with agarwood oils. While I've only tried a few pure sandalwood oils, either they've all displayed the same linear, buttery wood scent profile or I'm just not able to discern the difference. The Santal Sultan's citrus and floral instead of creamy and buttery sounds quite interesting.
Not sure if there is a grading system but there are definitely scent differences between different batches of sandalwood. I have the sandalwood material used for distilling Santal Royale, Byakudan 1 and Tan Xiang 1. Not only do the woods exhibit very different scent profiles, the distilled oils are very different too.
Granted the aroma spectrum can be relative narrow, compared to Oud's diversity. But even so, there are still many aspects to the aroma, and to borrow Taha's words, they are classified broadly as woody, creamy, buttery, spicy and floral/fruity.
As I have been wearing Byakudan for the last few days, thought I can give a short review here. Typical of Taha's style, the Byakukan opened up with a piercing brilliance top notes, which he mentioned are akin to the sandalwood version of the top notes in oils such as Kachin Ko-Shwe. Now having tried Kachin Ko-Shwe, i have to say both the top notes are uncanny similar in essence. There is a tinge of fruity sweetness, interlaced with a woodiness in the backdrop. The dry down is a delicate buttery richness, and you can get the occasion bittersweetness note amidst the buttery aroma. Just to show sandalwood oil is not all just about linear aroma but does have its unique and beautiful interplaying notes as well.
Granted the aroma spectrum can be relative narrow, compared to Oud's diversity. But even so, there are still many aspects to the aroma, and to borrow Taha's words, they are classified broadly as woody, creamy, buttery, spicy and floral/fruity.
As I have been wearing Byakudan for the last few days, thought I can give a short review here. Typical of Taha's style, the Byakukan opened up with a piercing brilliance top notes, which he mentioned are akin to the sandalwood version of the top notes in oils such as Kachin Ko-Shwe. Now having tried Kachin Ko-Shwe, i have to say both the top notes are uncanny similar in essence. There is a tinge of fruity sweetness, interlaced with a woodiness in the backdrop. The dry down is a delicate buttery richness, and you can get the occasion bittersweetness note amidst the buttery aroma. Just to show sandalwood oil is not all just about linear aroma but does have its unique and beautiful interplaying notes as well.
Ensar, your figure is about $30 lower per gram, and I'm talking cost price.
I just wrapped up a Gen4 vintage Mysore sandalwood distillation last month (brutal.. the yield was like conventional distillation, unlike Gen3), and I can corroborate what Ensar is saying about the dismal state of affairs.
There are many nice sandalwood oils, especially Assamese and Bengali (most notably Adam's recent amazing oils). Adam has a spine, so he didn't slap on the label 'Mysore' even though ironically his Bengali oil smells more Mysorean than alleged 'Mysore sandalwood' oils that I've smelled. Nice Indian/Bengali sandalwood can be pretty cheap. Nice TRUE Mysore sandalwood (be it vintage or recent, from high grade or even low grade wood) cannot be cheap. Its simple, the cost price of true Mysore wood just isn't what it used to be, and that of course affects the selling price.
My Byakudan oil was extracted from an old Yamada-Matsu sinking grade batch, and Tan Xiang 1 & 2 from a Chinese incense company's sinking grade batch. Okay, distilling sinking grade sandalwood ain't exactly typical. But hey, we are talking about GOOD oils from the good ol' days. And so, these 3 brews are an excellent modern-day pulse reading of the state of affairs.
Actually, the first 2 oils were Gen3 so its not a fair assessment (the yield was triple to quadruple). The yield for the latest oil (which is what can be typically expected) is the most accurate reading.
The proof's in the pudding:
... so you can rest assured I'm not spewing nonsense.
Sure, you'll find plenty of really cheap (and super nice smelling) "Mysore" oils.. except they're not Mysore. Take it from someone who's stocked up on a whole lotta grades and batches (yes, even non-sinking) (and yes, @wholesale prices) of Mysore wood, the real stuff distilled within the past 4 years won't be cheap.
So if you're in the market for Mysore, you've got 5 options:
- buy dead, flat, monotone vintage Mysore oils (the majority of them). You can get a great deal sometimes, if you stumble across an old bottle at a hippie's garage sale. Even if they smell dull, hey, you can certainly Ooh-Aah at the age factor. It seems some like that.
- buy the needles in the haystack, the actually good vintage Mysores. So far I've only found those to be Ensar's, and only 2 others.
- buy the present-day high grade distillations. Population: zero? I don't know of anyone who's doing it any more. I myself have thrown in the towel after the crippling loss from the recent distillation (a year's worth of minimum wage salary after taxes, in the state of Michigan... poof.. gone). Maybe Adam has something up his sleeve....?
- buy the alleged (but not true) Mysore oils. For some (most?), ignorance is bliss. If this applies to you, be sure to stock up on Assamese, Bengali, Mizoram, Tamil, and East Timor sandalwood oils now while you can. Yep, I'm referring to the excellent "Mysores" in the market.
- buy the genuine, but truly horrible Mysore oils being cooked in India these days. Sharp (and no, the existence of top notes does not equate to sharpness), sour, totally weird...... the only saving is the 'Mysore' label. Worst of all, the price for this garbage is higher than that of superior oils from elsewhere.
- learn to appreciate non-Mysore sandalwood. Like I would tell some of my wholesale clients who would insist on thick oud oils, "the oud is for your nose, not your eyes", then likewise I say "sandalwood is for the smell, not the name".
I just wrapped up a Gen4 vintage Mysore sandalwood distillation last month (brutal.. the yield was like conventional distillation, unlike Gen3), and I can corroborate what Ensar is saying about the dismal state of affairs.
There are many nice sandalwood oils, especially Assamese and Bengali (most notably Adam's recent amazing oils). Adam has a spine, so he didn't slap on the label 'Mysore' even though ironically his Bengali oil smells more Mysorean than alleged 'Mysore sandalwood' oils that I've smelled. Nice Indian/Bengali sandalwood can be pretty cheap. Nice TRUE Mysore sandalwood (be it vintage or recent, from high grade or even low grade wood) cannot be cheap. Its simple, the cost price of true Mysore wood just isn't what it used to be, and that of course affects the selling price.
My Byakudan oil was extracted from an old Yamada-Matsu sinking grade batch, and Tan Xiang 1 & 2 from a Chinese incense company's sinking grade batch. Okay, distilling sinking grade sandalwood ain't exactly typical. But hey, we are talking about GOOD oils from the good ol' days. And so, these 3 brews are an excellent modern-day pulse reading of the state of affairs.
Actually, the first 2 oils were Gen3 so its not a fair assessment (the yield was triple to quadruple). The yield for the latest oil (which is what can be typically expected) is the most accurate reading.
The proof's in the pudding:
... so you can rest assured I'm not spewing nonsense.
Sure, you'll find plenty of really cheap (and super nice smelling) "Mysore" oils.. except they're not Mysore. Take it from someone who's stocked up on a whole lotta grades and batches (yes, even non-sinking) (and yes, @wholesale prices) of Mysore wood, the real stuff distilled within the past 4 years won't be cheap.
So if you're in the market for Mysore, you've got 5 options:
- buy dead, flat, monotone vintage Mysore oils (the majority of them). You can get a great deal sometimes, if you stumble across an old bottle at a hippie's garage sale. Even if they smell dull, hey, you can certainly Ooh-Aah at the age factor. It seems some like that.
- buy the needles in the haystack, the actually good vintage Mysores. So far I've only found those to be Ensar's, and only 2 others.
- buy the present-day high grade distillations. Population: zero? I don't know of anyone who's doing it any more. I myself have thrown in the towel after the crippling loss from the recent distillation (a year's worth of minimum wage salary after taxes, in the state of Michigan... poof.. gone). Maybe Adam has something up his sleeve....?
- buy the alleged (but not true) Mysore oils. For some (most?), ignorance is bliss. If this applies to you, be sure to stock up on Assamese, Bengali, Mizoram, Tamil, and East Timor sandalwood oils now while you can. Yep, I'm referring to the excellent "Mysores" in the market.
- buy the genuine, but truly horrible Mysore oils being cooked in India these days. Sharp (and no, the existence of top notes does not equate to sharpness), sour, totally weird...... the only saving is the 'Mysore' label. Worst of all, the price for this garbage is higher than that of superior oils from elsewhere.
- learn to appreciate non-Mysore sandalwood. Like I would tell some of my wholesale clients who would insist on thick oud oils, "the oud is for your nose, not your eyes", then likewise I say "sandalwood is for the smell, not the name".
You're right, Artisanal Sandalwood Oil is rarer than Oud Oil. So far, the only ones that I know of were crafted by Adam, Ensar, and Taha.
Vintage oils are good for reference, but a good young oil is a real treat
Vintage oils are good for reference, but a good young oil is a real treat
http://www.edenbotanicals.com/products/sampler-packs/sandalwood-sampler-pack.html
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Australia is the Road to future Sandalwoods , they have incredible wild & planation grown , at 1 point the Australians GDP was sandalwood to China , there is enough Sustainable Sandalwood that it should not affect the demand. & there is a Road call Sandalwood in Australia , & good reason to go on a Vacation Down under , , ( & Hawaiian Sandalwood is Amazing , exact profile as Taha Sandalwood oils) , plus if Hunters keep ripping Wild trees , they are just digging the grave of any species of trees that are cut down , simple logic can go a long way , if hunters rip 1 tree they should plant 10 saplings so future generations will reap the rewards , 1 ex , Ginseng Hunters in Kansas , when they go hunting and pull the roots , there is a seed on the plant they replant so there grand kids could do the same and generation & generations will benefit , Hence they are protecting nature and not destroying it , we need more tree hippies in this world , they say that The trees will also talk on a special day , on that day We hope the trees Talk for us not against us. If I sounded offensive please forgive me , peace and have a great day !
I've only just bought old stocks of sandalwood from Chinese and Japanese incense companies. I'm pretty sure I must have come across some sandalwood trees in the jungle.. but without knowing it. I have no clue what a sandalwood tree looks like in the jungle.
As it turns out, there is sandalwood in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, one of the hunting teams (near Mt Pinatubo, Luzon) mistakenly harvested one such tree instead of an agarwood tree. Now there's 200kg of sinking grade sandalwood just sitting there (that I'm not interested in)..
That Robinsons Supermarket grocery bag brings back some bad memories..
As it turns out, there is sandalwood in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, one of the hunting teams (near Mt Pinatubo, Luzon) mistakenly harvested one such tree instead of an agarwood tree. Now there's 200kg of sinking grade sandalwood just sitting there (that I'm not interested in)..
That Robinsons Supermarket grocery bag brings back some bad memories..
