PAHANG CHERRY SINGLE RESERVE 2023 • Single-Tree Wild Oud, Aquilaria malaccensis • Pahang Malaysia

• highlights: Creamy, dark and mysterious; featuring black cherry, apple, black pepper, vanilla, narcotic deep florals, black soil. Unique deep green color.

• material: 100% wild Aquilaria malaccensis, distillation from one single wild tree.

• production: April 2023, ultra-traditional process by a master distiller, low-temperature distilled in wood-fired copper still with glass collector. Crafted by a Malaysian third-generation true master distiller. Lab-tested for purity and authenticity.

• scent description: Creamy, narcotic, dark and mysterious; PAHANG CHERRY SINGLE RESERVE is a beautifully crafted, darkly-sweet, and smooth Oud experience right from the start, reflecting a quintessence of classical Malay oud tradition.

( Generally speaking, most Malaysian Aquilaria malaccensis distillations are soaked in water for days or weeks before distillation imparting various fermented and barn notes to the finished oil. This one is not soaked at all, and is very traditionally distilled in a wood-fired copper pot by a true master. The resulting Oud oil features essentially zero barn or fermented notes, and zero smoke, as is sometimes the result of less skilled wood-firing. )

PAHANG CHERRY SINGLE RESERVE is sweet and buoyant right from the start but with a certain dark and mysterious promise of deeper delights to come. Early notes include prominent ripe black cherry, complex and bright gourmet peppercorn, silky vanilla pod, blackest soil, and even an unexpected salty mineralic note that threads through early on. Classic Oud notes of fresh blonde tobacco and light natural leather mingle subtly and intermittently. Crisp sweet apple soon emerges, and will partner in a beautiful slow dance with the black cherry throughout the drydown. The cherry and apple will ebb and flow, but are a primary theme in this Oud. You’ll also notice an almost ineffable but omnipresent floral creaminess here reminiscent of Orris root. This is also a major theme that remains quietly present through most of the drydown. There are moments when the black soil aspect comes to full clarity, a vast temperate deciduous forest at night; dense, dewy, lush, dark and cool. Oxygen and lichens. Stillness. It will not be long, however, until warmth and light re-emerge. Allspice and port wine make brief appearances at the heart. Deep into the drydown, the finish is easy and gentle; featuring cooked apples, new wood, carpenter’s shop, overripe cherry, more black pepper, and that abiding sultry creaminess.

• notes of controversy: none

• special comments: We expect this oil to age particularly well. We think its an exceptional value at current pricing. Rest assured we are setting aside a little of this Oud to see what happens in 5 years or more.

Additional notes:

• When we say wild, we mean wild! All our “wild” designated agarwood and oil is from genuine 100% naturally occurring wild forest agarwood trees with no human interventions prior to harvest. Occasionally we might offer other options, but they will be clearly indicated as either “cultivated” (farmed) or “semi-wild” (agarwood growth influenced by human intervention in a natural setting). When we say wild, we mean wild!

• One-tree wonders! We strongly prefer single-tree agarwood harvests and single-tree Oud oil distillations. This has both environmental and aesthetic benefits, capturing the unique essence of a single, fully mature, agarwood tree. When this single-tree preference is not possible we strongly favor combining wood from only a few fully mature trees​ from the same geography, of known provenance, ​supplied by trusted and experienced harvesters. ​(the only exception would be in the case of carefully planned blends or co-distillations which we always describe with precision.) More and more you will see us moving toward single-tree productions. It’s part of our commitment to sustainability and our joy in honoring the individual aromatic “soul” of each tree we harvest.

•​ We try to describe our Oud oils as accurately as possible using common vocabulary from a Western cultural perspective. There might also be some specialized technical or aromatic nomenclature as we seek also to educate and inform our customers. We hope to strike a balance; offering accessibility and straightforwardness while also providing some technical and specialized vocabulary when we think it is informative or necessary.  Our Oud descriptions are subjective and may vary slightly over time due to the effects of aging on Oud's aromatic profile, however, Oud oils will generally only improve with age, and the key features of a particular oil will generally be quite stable over time. We try to repeat the assessment process and update the detailed aromatic description of every Oud oil in our catalog at least once every 12 months. We pride ourselves on detailed accurate descriptions of our Oud oils, and we are happy to receive your constructive feedback on this topic.