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Kyara LTD Private. This is one of those oils that calls out to me. Like Kynam No1, I just know when we're supposed to spend time together. The LTD is hard to describe in terms of scent spectrum. It does greatly resemble some lovely Kinam skins I burn fairly regularly. Its never overwhelming, yet always present. I'm about 12 hours in and its clearly still there, hauntingly beautiful. Its a bit green, a bit sweet, a bit sour. Its..well..its beautiful. Its peaceful. Its serene. Its balancing. Its bliss. Everything else equal, a day with LTD is a better day, without question.
If this is the same oil I smelled when Ensar visited me, then its certainly one of the two finest I've smelled in my life. Its a (very tough) tossup between that and the Royal Kinam v2. Both of them propel me through the scentospheres of mere earthly aromas, into a realm where my mind is barely, just barely, able to grasp their unearthly aroma, spinning my mind at a dangerous near-insanity level of intoxication.
Oils that are #3, #4, #5 etc on the list of oils that do this to me (Kynam No.1, Royal Vietnam, Ceylon No.1 and about 5-7 others) are a far 3rd, 4th, etc for me.
Whether done knowingly or unknowingly (and Ensar confirmed it was knowingly), my rather sensitive hard-wired kinamometer - that runs between my brain, eyes, nose, and mouth - tells me that the raw material for these two oils contained some genuine kinam. Scent alone can be manipulated, can be deceptive. But the brain (and for me, also eye pain relief) effects cannot be mimicked by mere apparatus and techniques. A pinch (approx 0.05g) of raw kinam is medicinal enough. Now imagine the medicinal potency of far more kinam, concentrated in the oil.
Maybe some will argue adding real kinam to the pot was just 'marketing acrobatics'. I say anyone with a functional kinamometer will appreciate these medicinal brews. Everyone else is free to ignore the acrobatics.
One of my zillionaire friends in the higher-echelon agarwood trade, when he found out about my eye disorder, gifted me some of his homemade porcupine stone capsules (I later found out how expensive they are!), an electromagnetic pulsating 'mask' (photo of my son goofing around with it, lol), and a ton of kinam.. like it was nothing (his own sister consumes 2 grams of kinam every day for treating her bipolar disorder).
Although I did consume a fair bit, I admit I ended up saving most of it (I'm sure most of you would too!)
Any how, the point is... I've been practically spoon fed sooooo much kinam by this guy, that I know its effects on me all too well. And both Royal Kinam v2 and Kyara Ltd v2 possess the very same medicinal qualities.
Oils that are #3, #4, #5 etc on the list of oils that do this to me (Kynam No.1, Royal Vietnam, Ceylon No.1 and about 5-7 others) are a far 3rd, 4th, etc for me.
Whether done knowingly or unknowingly (and Ensar confirmed it was knowingly), my rather sensitive hard-wired kinamometer - that runs between my brain, eyes, nose, and mouth - tells me that the raw material for these two oils contained some genuine kinam. Scent alone can be manipulated, can be deceptive. But the brain (and for me, also eye pain relief) effects cannot be mimicked by mere apparatus and techniques. A pinch (approx 0.05g) of raw kinam is medicinal enough. Now imagine the medicinal potency of far more kinam, concentrated in the oil.
Maybe some will argue adding real kinam to the pot was just 'marketing acrobatics'. I say anyone with a functional kinamometer will appreciate these medicinal brews. Everyone else is free to ignore the acrobatics.
One of my zillionaire friends in the higher-echelon agarwood trade, when he found out about my eye disorder, gifted me some of his homemade porcupine stone capsules (I later found out how expensive they are!), an electromagnetic pulsating 'mask' (photo of my son goofing around with it, lol), and a ton of kinam.. like it was nothing (his own sister consumes 2 grams of kinam every day for treating her bipolar disorder).
Although I did consume a fair bit, I admit I ended up saving most of it (I'm sure most of you would too!)
Any how, the point is... I've been practically spoon fed sooooo much kinam by this guy, that I know its effects on me all too well. And both Royal Kinam v2 and Kyara Ltd v2 possess the very same medicinal qualities.
@Taha
Love the pic of the little guy! Can totally picture my little maniacs having a ton of fun with that mask.
Interesting and actually totally makes sense to me the actual effect of kinam on the brain, at least I attest to certain oils and their effect upon me. I do not have your vast kinam experience (yes, I would have saved the kinam as well), but these oils do, and actually have since the very first time I tried them, have an effect on me no other oils do. Even oils with a "superior" scent profile if you will, or more aesthetically pleasing, just don't do the same for me.
I said these oils call out to me. Maybe its my mind telling me when IT needs THEM? My mind needed a little medication today? Kyara LTD private is just what the doctor ordered. I believe this is essentially the same oil Taha. It is simply outstanding, I mean words can't describe.
Love the pic of the little guy! Can totally picture my little maniacs having a ton of fun with that mask.
Interesting and actually totally makes sense to me the actual effect of kinam on the brain, at least I attest to certain oils and their effect upon me. I do not have your vast kinam experience (yes, I would have saved the kinam as well), but these oils do, and actually have since the very first time I tried them, have an effect on me no other oils do. Even oils with a "superior" scent profile if you will, or more aesthetically pleasing, just don't do the same for me.
I said these oils call out to me. Maybe its my mind telling me when IT needs THEM? My mind needed a little medication today? Kyara LTD private is just what the doctor ordered. I believe this is essentially the same oil Taha. It is simply outstanding, I mean words can't describe.
Taha, was that Brunei Kinam then? I remember being handed that same jar but I think the jungle mutiny was too intense for us to be able to smell anything at that point.... I'll be very keen to take a whiff of that stuff on my next visit! Thrilled to see another Brunei Kinam devotee – in you of all people!
I was feeling Russian today.... So I read me some Netochka Nezvanova, and took a swipe of Piara. Malaysian Borneo goodness, all heart notes. – Unless, of course, it turns out not to be Malaysian Borneo.
I was feeling Russian today.... So I read me some Netochka Nezvanova, and took a swipe of Piara. Malaysian Borneo goodness, all heart notes. – Unless, of course, it turns out not to be Malaysian Borneo.
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Piara is awful nice, as is his Papau GL, which is Papaun Borneo goodness.
Today I went Borneo 3000 and Ceylon No1. Both brilliant and they compliment each other nicely IMO.
Last night I pulled out a real treasure, Kyara d'Assam. What an amazing Hindi, pristine, it feels so ancient and sacred.
Today I went Borneo 3000 and Ceylon No1. Both brilliant and they compliment each other nicely IMO.
Last night I pulled out a real treasure, Kyara d'Assam. What an amazing Hindi, pristine, it feels so ancient and sacred.
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@Oud_Learner, @Ensar, yep, that's one... out of a bunch.
The particular jar you're holding in that photo is one of the non-Brunei batches, but yes you smelled the Brunei one too.
My plan was to actually distill a bunch of it. A 3kg distillation to be exact (in my 3kg pot), as well as another 15kg (non kinam) run alongside it. Its extremely expensive though, as even the powder of kinam is darn expensive. But the fact that I would even consider doing it should indicate how generous this guy is.
He also gifted me a bunch of other kinams, every single one non-Vietnamese. Up until then, I had always held the view that kinam must be from Vietnam. Unlike you, Ensar, my experience with the Chinese agarwood market had been from a very different angle. Whereas you've been mingling with the demand side, the creme de la creme of the China demand side market, my interactions have been on the supplier side so I've seen a lot of naughtiness. Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal.
It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.
Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
You know what's really amazing? Putting a pinch of one of these into a small bottle and shaking it (NO heat applied) turned the water yellow. I've been trying to find a photo of that water on my phone and computer, but looks like I deleted it. Any how, I'm attaching some fascinating photos of that Brunei wood (including the view under a microscope). Fascinating stuff!
You can probably see now why I'm so keen on practically all Agar Aura hunting activities now targeting the Sarawakian jacket surrounding Brunei jungles (Ulu Temburong and Labi). Hey, a guy can dream, right...
The particular jar you're holding in that photo is one of the non-Brunei batches, but yes you smelled the Brunei one too.
My plan was to actually distill a bunch of it. A 3kg distillation to be exact (in my 3kg pot), as well as another 15kg (non kinam) run alongside it. Its extremely expensive though, as even the powder of kinam is darn expensive. But the fact that I would even consider doing it should indicate how generous this guy is.
He also gifted me a bunch of other kinams, every single one non-Vietnamese. Up until then, I had always held the view that kinam must be from Vietnam. Unlike you, Ensar, my experience with the Chinese agarwood market had been from a very different angle. Whereas you've been mingling with the demand side, the creme de la creme of the China demand side market, my interactions have been on the supplier side so I've seen a lot of naughtiness.
Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal.It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.
Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
You know what's really amazing? Putting a pinch of one of these into a small bottle and shaking it (NO heat applied) turned the water yellow. I've been trying to find a photo of that water on my phone and computer, but looks like I deleted it. Any how, I'm attaching some fascinating photos of that Brunei wood (including the view under a microscope). Fascinating stuff!
You can probably see now why I'm so keen on practically all Agar Aura hunting activities now targeting the Sarawakian jacket surrounding Brunei jungles (Ulu Temburong and Labi).
Hey, a guy can dream, right...Ah, Sheikh's Borneo.
Off the stick it smells different from its namesake predecessor, I'd say closer to Bois De Borneo in some ways. However, as soon as you apply it to the skin it instantly changes within a matter of seconds. And yes, its the closest thing to the Sheikh v1 that I've smelled so far. The v1 and v2 are the only two dark Malinau's I've ever smelled. Not dark in a dank way, nor in a Hindi way. More like a warm glow instead of the siren-like top notes more typical of Borneo brews (Borneo 4000).
The sugar is less than Borneo 3000 (which, alongside Adam's Malinau Extreme, is the most classic representation of the archetypal Malinau smell --- sugared up Borneo). However, what I like to call 'oud petrichor' (the aroma of raw densely-resinated wood, sprinkled lightly with water) is much more in the two Sheikhs, particularly this new one. And of course its Malinau petrichor. How can you beat that?
(dunno if you recall the aroma of my Aceh Microcarpa, Ambrosia, that you smelled at my place, but its the Aceh cousin of Sheikh's Borneo)
I was very sad to hear about the recent passing away of the distiller who crafted legends like Borneo 3000, 4000, Sheikh's, etc.
Ensar, to me (like many others, I'm sure), the Oriscent experience was personified by your Indonesian ouds. They take up the largest share of my earliest memories of Oriscent oils — oils that were utterly different from everything else we'd ever encountered before. Its comforting to know you're still sitting on unreleased oils that you had this master distill for you, so that his legacy will carry on. But I do hope you can find another distiller to replace him (not an easy task, I'm sure)!
PS: I still have my Sheikh's Borneo v1 bottle with me. I haven't been able to part with it (that, and my first-ever Oriscent oil, a sandal oud attar), and every now and then I unscrew the cap and breathe in... and I'm back in 2004.
Off the stick it smells different from its namesake predecessor, I'd say closer to Bois De Borneo in some ways. However, as soon as you apply it to the skin it instantly changes within a matter of seconds. And yes, its the closest thing to the Sheikh v1 that I've smelled so far. The v1 and v2 are the only two dark Malinau's I've ever smelled. Not dark in a dank way, nor in a Hindi way. More like a warm glow instead of the siren-like top notes more typical of Borneo brews (Borneo 4000).
The sugar is less than Borneo 3000 (which, alongside Adam's Malinau Extreme, is the most classic representation of the archetypal Malinau smell --- sugared up Borneo). However, what I like to call 'oud petrichor' (the aroma of raw densely-resinated wood, sprinkled lightly with water) is much more in the two Sheikhs, particularly this new one. And of course its Malinau petrichor. How can you beat that?
(dunno if you recall the aroma of my Aceh Microcarpa, Ambrosia, that you smelled at my place, but its the Aceh cousin of Sheikh's Borneo)
I was very sad to hear about the recent passing away of the distiller who crafted legends like Borneo 3000, 4000, Sheikh's, etc.
Ensar, to me (like many others, I'm sure), the Oriscent experience was personified by your Indonesian ouds. They take up the largest share of my earliest memories of Oriscent oils — oils that were utterly different from everything else we'd ever encountered before. Its comforting to know you're still sitting on unreleased oils that you had this master distill for you, so that his legacy will carry on. But I do hope you can find another distiller to replace him (not an easy task, I'm sure)!
PS: I still have my Sheikh's Borneo v1 bottle with me. I haven't been able to part with it (that, and my first-ever Oriscent oil, a sandal oud attar), and every now and then I unscrew the cap and breathe in... and I'm back in 2004.
@Oud_Learner, @Ensar, yep, that's one... out of a bunch.
The particular jar you're holding in that photo is one of the non-Brunei batches, but yes you smelled the Brunei one too.
My plan was to actually distill a bunch of it. A 3kg distillation to be exact (in my 3kg pot), as well as another 15kg (non kinam) run alongside it. Its extremely expensive though, as even the powder of kinam is darn expensive. But the fact that I would even consider doing it should indicate how generous this guy is.
He also gifted me a bunch of other kinams, every single one non-Vietnamese. Up until then, I had always held the view that kinam must be from Vietnam. Unlike you, Ensar, my experience with the Chinese agarwood market had been from a very different angle. Whereas you've been mingling with the demand side, the creme de la creme of the China demand side market, my interactions have been on the supplier side so I've seen a lot of naughtiness. Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal.
It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.
Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
You know what's really amazing? Putting a pinch of one of these into a small bottle and shaking it (NO heat applied) turned the water yellow. I've been trying to find a photo of that water on my phone and computer, but looks like I deleted it. Any how, I'm attaching some fascinating photos of that Brunei wood (including the view under a microscope). Fascinating stuff!
View attachment 341 View attachment 342 View attachment 343 View attachment 344 View attachment 345 View attachment 346 View attachment 347 View attachment 348
You can probably see now why I'm so keen on practically all Agar Aura hunting activities now targeting the Sarawakian jacket surrounding Brunei jungles (Ulu Temburong and Labi). Hey, a guy can dream, right...
The particular jar you're holding in that photo is one of the non-Brunei batches, but yes you smelled the Brunei one too.
My plan was to actually distill a bunch of it. A 3kg distillation to be exact (in my 3kg pot), as well as another 15kg (non kinam) run alongside it. Its extremely expensive though, as even the powder of kinam is darn expensive. But the fact that I would even consider doing it should indicate how generous this guy is.
He also gifted me a bunch of other kinams, every single one non-Vietnamese. Up until then, I had always held the view that kinam must be from Vietnam. Unlike you, Ensar, my experience with the Chinese agarwood market had been from a very different angle. Whereas you've been mingling with the demand side, the creme de la creme of the China demand side market, my interactions have been on the supplier side so I've seen a lot of naughtiness.
Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal.It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.
Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
You know what's really amazing? Putting a pinch of one of these into a small bottle and shaking it (NO heat applied) turned the water yellow. I've been trying to find a photo of that water on my phone and computer, but looks like I deleted it. Any how, I'm attaching some fascinating photos of that Brunei wood (including the view under a microscope). Fascinating stuff!
View attachment 341 View attachment 342 View attachment 343 View attachment 344 View attachment 345 View attachment 346 View attachment 347 View attachment 348
You can probably see now why I'm so keen on practically all Agar Aura hunting activities now targeting the Sarawakian jacket surrounding Brunei jungles (Ulu Temburong and Labi).
Hey, a guy can dream, right...
Sure... it would be a dream come true to find a tree of Kinam. Shucks...I hope you do anyway
@Taha
Oh yes my friend, please distill some, pretty please!!! And do save a bottle for this guy, especially since you've decided to name it after me. Byara, Brinam (Brian + Kyara, Brian +Kinam), I think I probably deserve some of the wood to go along with it, or something along those lines.
Seriously, cool to see you consider doing the unimaginable like our guy Ensar has been! Some say its heresy, I say its revolutionary!
Oh yes my friend, please distill some, pretty please!!! And do save a bottle for this guy, especially since you've decided to name it after me. Byara, Brinam (Brian + Kyara, Brian +Kinam), I think I probably deserve some of the wood to go along with it, or something along those lines.
Seriously, cool to see you consider doing the unimaginable like our guy Ensar has been! Some say its heresy, I say its revolutionary!
Trust me, @Taha, @bhanny doesn't know what he's talking about! Distilling it is something you should never, ever consider! The right thing to do is sell the dust to me, and then I will distill it!
I used to believe that each region produces its own strain of kinam that is somehow imbued by other characteristics of the region's normal agarwood – until I went to Sri Lanka and was shown Walla Patta kinam. This one hunter had scored 7 grams of it from an otherwise normal Walla tree, and he wouldn't part with it for love or money. But trust me, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that and the finest Nha Trang Shoyeido stuff! It was THAT good! When I've seen kinam harvested from Gyrinops with my own eyes, I fully believe it can be gotten from ANY tree, and it can be of IDENTICAL kinaminess / kyara value as the best Vietnamese!
I had always held the view that kinam must be from Vietnam. Unlike you, Ensar, my experience with the Chinese agarwood market had been from a very different angle. Whereas you've been mingling with the demand side, the creme de la creme of the China demand side market, my interactions have been on the supplier side so I've seen a lot of naughtiness. Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal. It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.
Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
Hence my skepticism with the Chinese definition which, up until then, I deemed to be too liberal. It was only after experiencing the Brunei kinam (and one other), and its intensely potent kinaminess, that I finally changed my personal opinion from the more conservative "it HAS to be from Vietnam and a few surrounding regions" view to the view that it can be from any country so long as it meets requirements A, B, C, and D.Brinam? Byara? The name doesn't really matter.
Awesome John. I'm with you more often than not, especially regarding specific notes. Unless it is something I am very familiar with, such as orange blossom/neroli and the notes in many of Ensar's Chinese offerings (Hainan 2005, Yunnan 2003, Yunnan Exclusive), I leave it to the experts.
My very limited sampling of Sufyan, I recall being deep in a dense island jungle at night, nearly pitch black, with just a small opening in the canopy above. Which is filled with the most amazingly bright and beautiful stars. The heavy, thick, blue-green jungle air is cut mercifully by a gentle, persistent oceanic breeze.
My very limited sampling of Sufyan, I recall being deep in a dense island jungle at night, nearly pitch black, with just a small opening in the canopy above. Which is filled with the most amazingly bright and beautiful stars. The heavy, thick, blue-green jungle air is cut mercifully by a gentle, persistent oceanic breeze.
Yeah, he passed away last year, and with him a chapter of oud distillation history is officially closed. The man who crafted Borneo 3000 (1 & 2), Borneo 50K, and the two Sheikh's Borneos has returned to his Maker. I have batches of oils he crafted over the years that I will be holding onto. Finding another distiller is not a problem. The problem is finding genuine Malinau wood for him to distill. The last batch he did was a couple years back, and for the most part he was just sitting around the last few months of his life, due to lack of raw materials.
Going forward, whatever I source in the China Market I distill according to the other Oriscent paradigm; that of oils like Borneo 4000, Kyara LTD, Royal Kinam. The Borneo Kinam you tried was done this way, as was Borneo Diesel (my current favorite of all Malinau oils). It's been getting tougher and tougher sourcing wood to get distilled, though, and the batches are getting smaller and smaller. I agree with you in considering calling it quits on the jungles and relying on collectors of vintage harvests to source your wood from – the only issue is that you have to have a radical shift in how you approach your production costs… Whereas in the jungle all you have to do is find the wood and chop it down, buying from collectors comes at a (sometimes very) hefty price. And if you're talking pure incense grade, then you need to come up with hundreds of thousands on the spot if you're serious about cleaning house. If not, I doubt they'd entertain anyone looking for just a few kilos. Then again, it depends on who you talk to. Adam seems to have no issues purchasing a few kilograms at a time in Vietnam. The guys I deal with are a lot more ruthless, and unless you talk big bucks, they won't even show you anything…
That's incredible! I don't even have anything left of those batches!
Going forward, whatever I source in the China Market I distill according to the other Oriscent paradigm; that of oils like Borneo 4000, Kyara LTD, Royal Kinam. The Borneo Kinam you tried was done this way, as was Borneo Diesel (my current favorite of all Malinau oils). It's been getting tougher and tougher sourcing wood to get distilled, though, and the batches are getting smaller and smaller. I agree with you in considering calling it quits on the jungles and relying on collectors of vintage harvests to source your wood from – the only issue is that you have to have a radical shift in how you approach your production costs… Whereas in the jungle all you have to do is find the wood and chop it down, buying from collectors comes at a (sometimes very) hefty price. And if you're talking pure incense grade, then you need to come up with hundreds of thousands on the spot if you're serious about cleaning house. If not, I doubt they'd entertain anyone looking for just a few kilos. Then again, it depends on who you talk to. Adam seems to have no issues purchasing a few kilograms at a time in Vietnam. The guys I deal with are a lot more ruthless, and unless you talk big bucks, they won't even show you anything…
That's incredible! I don't even have anything left of those batches!
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