Leather and oud go together like king and crown, and there-s no sweeter spot between the rustic allure of Ensar-s artisanal—often mad—oud world and popular perfumery than this oudilicious addition to the cuir tradition. A rugged aroma that makes you wonder if Hemingway just lit up a Cuban, or if Churchill-s in town.
After 15 fragrant years, I-m finally taking off my jungle jacket for a tie, to dive headfirst into my debut spray parfum. And I approach perfume the way I do oud distillation. That-s why No 1 is composed of the rarest, most expensive ingredients in all of perfumery, including copious amounts of aged Manipur oud.
Not only is this the highest quality oud fragrance that has ever been produced in spray-format, the entire composition is infused into a high-concentration, genuine raw ambergris tincture instead of just plain ethanol. Similar tinctures of this kind sell for around £400 for 30ml… here, it’s already included.
Top notes:
Rosewood, Lavender, Siam Wood, Nutmeg, Castoreum
Heart notes:
Himalayan, Turkish, French and Edward Rose, Jasmine, Tolu Balsam, Civet
Base notes:
Wild Aged Manipur Oud, Ambergris, Vintage Papuan Sandalwood, Tobacco, Vanilla, Treemoss, Ethiopian Frankincense
I-ve literally been called stupid for insisting to use such olfactory gems in a perfume. In fact, most critics advocate using synthetics exclusively. And I see their point. Why sacrifice rare rose and oud instead of synthetics that are 100 times cheaper? Not to mention—and this is a staple argument—you never have to worry about reproducing the scent! (i.e. it-s scalable, so you can sell a lot more.)
I insist on these insanities because to me, and people like me, there IS a difference. You smell low-grade or lab-made oud (a.k.a. the ‘oud note-) and all you can do is laugh at how it-s being compared to real high-caliber oud. Most can-t even tell, but to any oud novice the difference is red and blue.
You-ll exude wafts of a tobacco-heavy, old-school leather jacket aroma with an unmistakable Don Corleone kiss-my-hand-compagno esteem. Subtle, but not soft, with a base that’s all oud and vintage horse-saddle leather.
I soaked up the feedback we received after No 1-s launch and improved where folks felt it could be better, rounded off some edges some felt were a bit rough, and introduced a couple of new ingredients to the ensemble that add tenacity and longevity. And a few tweaks to this new Pure Parfum edition makes it even headier. The result is a stronger composition that lingers longer… but doesn-t overstay; louder sillage, with a gentleman-s discretion.
No doubt, No 1 is not your typical Extrait de Parfum. It-s not supposed to be. I wouldn-t dream of topping the master cuirs that came before, nor do I subscribe to modern ‘industry standards-of how long, how loud, and how far. This is an indie cuir that-s limited and niche, where I simply wanted to add an OUD-inspired rendition to the legacy of Cuir de Russie et al, and offer perfume lovers the chance to experience just how amazing and exalting a fixative Artisanal Oud can be. In EO No 1, you pass third base to smell Oud & Leather drunk and in love, in a parfum that-s a first in a vibrant cuir heritage that-s been turning top hats and making hearts melt for decades.
2020 Manipur Edition.