Fragrant Harbour

For sometime we have been on the search for Hong Kong oud, an ambitious search that was mostly futile. Even our Chinese friends could not help with the request with many purveyors of the finest wood and kinam/kyara even questioning whether it existed, casting doubt on our aspirations.

Recently we struck gold with not only hong kong wood, but also with this extremely rare gem of an oil. This is a vintage co-distillation from the skunk works of Taiwan. An absolutely astonishing find, that we could not have imagined when setting out on this search.

As for the regions distilled, these are the most coveted regions, the backbone of Chinese oud. Hainan is a region largely known today for its cultivated wood, most collectors haven't tasted its vintage wood and one can't only imagine the cost of it today. I enquired with a prominent Chinese oud collector about Hainan oud once, and was taken aback by the effort and enthusiasm for collecting and grading the finest Hainan pieces from years gone by. The passion and painstaking effort for one region, was something unparalleled. As for the price it was simply astronomical.

We've touched upon Hong Kong already (you can read a little more on it here) and given the superstar status of both regions, one can begin to appreciate the ambition and passion behind a project such as this.

To distill these individually would be a phenomenal achievement in itself, but to successfully pull off a co-distillation is rather breathtaking and accolade worthy. This may be the only time we have an oil quite like this, and words simply cannot do this oil or the work of our Taiwanese friends justice. From here on we'll let the oil do the talking...

"I have collected hundreds of Oud oils, from over 40 companies, and have to say that I am truly stunned by this oil.
At first, it simply seems lovely, remarkably refined, smooth, soothing, welcoming, and pristine.
Then it starts deepening. It brings you into a place of profound stillness, spiritual receptivity, and exalted awareness. All the while its exquisite aroma envelops you in bliss. It brought me through a forest into a powerful spiritual Presence, and has begun to teach me.
One of the very best Ouds ever made." - Hank Friedman