Vietnam 101

Vietnam is the greatest region for oud period. The home of kinam, the historical source for the elite incense traditions of the East, Vietnam is simply where the pinnacle of oudh is sought.

The oud world is a strange place, filled with clashing ideology, differing schools of thought & the reluctance to break from old ways. Many set into their positions, the positions of their culture and local oud enthusiasts, confining themselves to the tastes and aspirations of others. Yet some adventurous collectors break free, exploring uncharted territories relative to their local oud tradition.

This is where it gets interesting, the Eastern incense traditions don’t have much interest in oud oil, oils are seldom made here, and are often for medicinal purposes only. The schools of thought in this part of the world when it comes to incense & oud are so elite when it comes to their craft that one can only imagine how spectacular their oils would be. Their kyara and top shelf woods are out of this world, remnants of a distant past in the oud world - a glimpse of what vintage oud was. 

With such refined and strict criteria for their incense and fine oud woods, I have spent years searching for the little oil they have. Last year I unveiled several oud oils, one of which is undoubtedly one of the greatest oils ever made, the greatest I have smelt anyway. That was Fragrant Harbour an outstanding Hong Kong-Hainan co-distillation, with a unique kinam like aroma. Most of these oils have a signature Taiwanese scent, a refined aroma that smells like kinam, and unlike any other oud you'll have smelt before.

But there are oils distilled in Taiwan that smell completely different to the kinam like oils you'll find in our zenith collection. Some oils smell far more like traditional vintage oils from the likes of Singapore or the Gulf. The very pinnacle of their respective regions as far as oud today goes, complete with perfectly rounded off scent profiles due to their age & quality. 

Many Taiwanese oils are not particularly old, with a comparatively smaller oud oil scene, oils great than 10 years old are especially rare. However, age is not everything, much of the time the old oils making rounds on the market in the oud world are nothing special, sub par in fact for artisanal standards.

An oil is never great solely for its age, it also has to have a terrific aroma, and for me personally - a story. I crave the details: where the wood came from; the quality of it; the distillation method; the distiller; where they distilled it; who it was made for and really any other information I can find out.

Vietnam 101 is a vintage oil distilled from Vietnamese wood in Taiwan around 10 years ago. A beautiful dark & viscous oil, it reminds me of so many of my favourite legendary vintage oils. The aroma is unlike any other Vietnamese oil I have smelt, a liquor like oil, dripping with elegance and luxury. This is a base heavy oil, fixated on the base of liquor, musk & oud. Where else could you find an oil like this, except with us, purveyors of the finest Taiwanese oud oil around.