My general sense is that the major players (Ensar, Taha, Adam, ASO, IO, AI) in our niche/artisan oud world price their oils pretty fairly, in terms of the quality in relation to each other, and with respect to the open market factors like cost of materials, demand, etc.. What seems clear is that each of these artisans are great appreciators of fine oud, and have a good idea how a given oud of theirs will stack up in relation to other ouds in the market.. I've never felt like I got a bad deal from any of these artisans, let's put it that way.. And I very much enjoy the colorful and sometimes boastful oil descriptions, and tales of adventure and intrigue and mysticism that often accompany these descriptions - it all seems part of the artistic expression, and gives words and images to the subjective experience of the oil itself.. The artist has good reason be proud and enthusiastic..
In the case of Ensar, he offers quite a range of oils, and all seem priced fairly to me.. Some are exceptionally good deals - he releases rare, long-aged ouds that have no competition in the market - I mean, Oud Royale 1985 is a pure oud oil from 30 years ago, and everyone who has tried it knows it's the cat's pajamas in terms of scent profile and depth - he could charge whatever he wanted for it - and sold it at $550/3gm.. Same goes for Tigerwood Royale - it's a 15 year old pure oud oil that smells incredible - there is no competition in the open market for an oil like this, nor any way for a current distiller to make something like it - and he sells it for $550/3g..
