Its leathery growl – wrapped in mahogany, sprinkled with mint, sinking into a bottomless resinous abyss – already makes Tigerwood 1991 one of the most prized ouds in existence. An oud that could just as easily have remained locked beside the kyara log, or stowed away in Shaykh Khalifa’s safe, brought out only as a royal gift.
I’ve already publicly said that, while Tigerwood Royale may have been one of the ouds of the decade, I rank the ’91 batch as better. The top notes bloom like a fusion of Oud Sultani (2001) and Oud Royale (1982): that floral–spicy pitch, the herbaceous West-Malaysian tone, the purple-blue glaze that feels like sinking through velvet. Distilled from wild Malaysian tigerwood – named for its black resin striations – this was the kind of material oud distillers rarely see anymore. Today the same wood fetches thousands per kilo, making the oil impossible to replicate at cost. That’s why this oud is so old – you can’t help but hold onto it for decades. It’s an oud that marked the end of an era.
The distillation was full-spectrum. A dense, incense-grade oud whose elegance has only sharpened over thirty years. Instead of the dusty fade so many old ouds suffer, Tigerwood 1991 turns sweet, even cool and mentholated, like the sweetness that rises when a raw tigerwood chip is heated. You smell the marrow most modern ouds have lost: the dark floral West-Malaysian regality, the red-musk undertone reminiscent of Oud Ahmad but deeper, calmer, more composed. A camphoric green pitch rises and falls through the red heart like a refrain.
Now take all that raw, resinous power – its addictive darkness, its commanding oud core – and transport it to a sun-soaked paradise…
Built on this legendary Tigerwood foundation, we’ve woven in the airy lift of grey ambergris – glowing like bioluminescent plankton rising from the ocean depths, piercing through the resinous dark. This is a highly unorthodox scent structure: Tigerwood’s gasoline-leather edge, the textured blend of tobacco, cacao, pepper – without a single flower in sight.
It’s all resinous ooze: raw oud balsam lacquered in coffee rolled in tobacco, oaked-up beyond what’s legit – floating in a thick cocktail of ambergris and Tigerwood.
TOP — Tigerwood 1991 · Black Pepper · Black Tea · Clove
HEART — intentionally absent
BASE — Tigerwood 1991 · Raw Agarwood Resin · Grey Ambergris SQ · Bourbon Vanilla · Kashmiri Musk · Oakmoss · Patchouli · Cacao · Coffee · Tobacco
Usually, top and heart notes define the fragrance. It’s the scent’s first impression, the notes you judge it by. Tigerwood ’91 ignores them, going straight for the kill – right down to the oud base. Some coffee up front, with the top notes listed here just as a footnote. You barely smell them distinctly – set decor to highlight the beast in the cage.
The problem is… top and heart notes project. They’re fleeting but diffusive; they give lift. The only way to pull off a base-dominant composition like this is to pack it with nitro boosters other perfumers don’t have access to: loads of raw agarwood resin, musk, and this time, grey ambergris – this rare ambergris’ cleaner, salty-stony facet grabs the growling tenacity of quality ambergris (have you smelled it raw?) and lets this uber-base structure blast into the air.
It’s the same reason you’ve got raw oud resin in the carrier – who does that? – and Kashmiri musk as the grittiest of the three musketeers.
A scent from beyond, anchored by a once-in-a-lifetime oud that could easily have remained a legend sealed in a safe.
*Features a limited-edition raw Tiger’s Eye stone cap. No two are alike.
*This edition contains 2.5 grams of Tigerwood 1991 per 30ml (that’s 4.2gr per 50ml or 8.3gr per 100ml), making it the most concentrated edition of Tigerwood to date.
Each plaque is custom-made. A limited number ships immediately – subsequent orders are fulfilled as each one is completed.
Reviews of Previous Editions…
Dark – Brooding – Resin Overload – Oud Incense – Slight Bitterness – Sweet Oud Cloud
—Travis H
/ USA
Decked out in a glossy perfect shade of red plaque and crowned with a gorgeous Tiger’s eye stone cap, the bottle looks like a piece of art. This queen deserves a throne for a display.
Now to the contents. My EO buddies and especially Adam Coburn are aware of my love for Tigerwood oud oils. However, when the OG Tigerwood parfum made its debut, I consciously remained on the sidelines, intimidated by the overwhelming darkness of the composition and, specifically, by the black ambergris, as did not want to be evicted by my husband.
When Ensar rolled out Tigerwood ’91 oud this summer, I could not resist picking up a bottle, as my stash of ’95 oil was rapidly shrinking due to the ever increasing number of buddies who wanted one. I found ’91 to be a great oldie oud; therefore, when its namesake perfume came out in this impossible-to-ignore seductive presentation, I carefully checked the notes and seeing that the black whale got replaced with a grey one, I summoned all courage and pulled the trigger.
After staking out that yellow and red van for half the day yesterday, myself being an impatient tiger, I unwrapped this gorgeous bottle. We, oldies, know that the bottle shock is real and even pretty floral compositions can smell distorted and weird shortly after a delivery, what to say about this dark abyss of a scent.
I was utterly shocked that after I let out one small test squirt into the air in my bedroom, I could smell it from more than 20 meters away from downstairs in the living room half an hour later. That is insane, guys. This scent followed me around like a ghost.
Closer to bedtime, I worked up the nerve to spray a bit on a napkin and kept sniffing it throughout the night. I dare not to draw any conclusions from an initial experience from a freshly distilled juice that overheated during transportation, but I enjoyed what I smelled, a calming medicinal scent, patchouli and resins, a collage of Tigerwood oud’s own nuances, ambergris, tobacco, incense like smokiness ( not anywhere near the smokiness of Aroha Kyaku or Moshpit Pavarotti), soft cocoa notes, yummy vanilla in the dry down….
I will report later after an actual skin test, but so far, I am thrilled. I probably won’t dare to wear it in public or on a flight, but this tigernip potion will be my little secret guilty pleasure to relish on my own.
P.S. I let a buddy spray some on his arm and his reaction was ” Wow, this is better than the OG… the best Tigerwood parfum edition so far.”
UPDATE:
The scent profile is a glimpse of antiquity, an addictive calming medicinal scent of iodine-rich air of a rugged oceanic coastline on a cool windy day. I detect patchouli, moss and resins, a myriad of Tigerwood oud’s own nuances of gasoline, leathery, musky, mineral notes (oud punches through the fabric of the scent often), prominent ambergris, tobacco, incense like smokiness, delicious cocoa notes, gentle vanilla in the dry down. I rate it 10/10 – a parfum for an alpha male.
I bought this beauty while my husband was away on a trip and was apprehensive about his reaction to this scent, as in our family, I am the crazy ouddict and he is totally indifferent to perfumes in general. When I first introduced him to my beloved Tigerwood ’95 oud oil about 8 years ago, he jokingly called it a fecal trickle. Of course, wives do not give up until they get their way, so by now hubby wears gladly whatever I designate for him, namely Iris Ghalia, Iris Noir attar, Tibetan Musk. Possibly, just to make me happy. However, I was really worried about his reaction to Tigerwood parfum, as even some seasoned EO noses could not cope with the OG. I doubted he would enjoy it on him and knew too well that he would not appreciate it on me.
I had been waiting out for an opportune moment to introduce Tigerwood to him. Finally, yesterday evening, I sheepishly came up to him while he was busy reading something and spayed one spay on his arms without saying a word. He is used to such antics from my side, as I often test perfumes by applying on him. I was morally prepared for an objection of a sort, but he did not say a word. Today, I asked him “what did you think of that scent I sprayed you with last night?” and was surprised he answered that it was nice. So today I acted boldly and sprayed him and inquired in a few minutes about his impressions. He sniffed his arms and replied, “I love it, this is the best masculine scent in the world.” There you have it, a win-win for the family. I am chuffed with this purchase.
—Moon Beam
/ USA
Imagine the depths of a primeval forest, where the air is thick with smoke, the ground pulses with raw energy. There’s no sweetness, no softness—only the primal roar of oud, resin, and shadows intertwining in an unapologetically bold composition. This isn’t a scent for the faint-hearted; it’s for those who embrace the dark, who find beauty in the wild, and who wear their presence like an untouchable aura.
—Syed S
/ Pakistan
The Cold and dark time of the year has finally arrived and I wasn’t sure what to wear today. Since I’ve been constantly using my chypre sultan for the last few weeks I’ve decided to make a 30 days/30perfumes month to get some variety.
Gonna kick it off with the legendary Tigerwood Perfume.
Cocoa and coffee meets one of my favorite oils ever, Tigerwood Royale.
Complimented with black ambergris and a few other aromatics it turns into one of the most masculine, dark and oudy scents that I’ve tried from EO.
There are no burnt/smoky notes like in EO black/changho/Moshpit Pavarotti, it’s heavy but still balanced.
The Tigerwood oil itself is the main player in this perfume and all the other ingredients have been built around that heavy oud base without taking over. If you can get a sample or a full bottle I would highly suggest to give it a go.
Projection and longevity is excellent.
UPDATE:
Dense wafts of Tigerwood Royale, a splash of coffe musk oakmoss and a thick base of black ambergris covering you in one of the greatest oud perfume smells that I know.
Now that it gets colder over here it’s time to get the dark and super intense ballers out of the vault and indulge them.
Few sprays of this perfume, a little swipe of the oil smeared into the beard, burning some decent incense and you’re in oud heaven.
I hope that we can get some perfumes like the Tigerwood again in the future, in my opinion it’s a perfect oud perfume. Dark, masculine, extremely powerful and quite exceptional.
UPDATE:
…probably the darkest scent in my collection – Tigerwood… the OG Tigerwood. I still think Tigerwood OG is a milestone, I’ve tried the new version and they’re good but my personal favourite is the very first one. The raw smell of Tigerwood Royale paired with heavy black ambergris, coffe, cacao and tobacco is the definition of a dark scent to me. I don’t reach out very often for it because I don’t want the bottle to get empty too quickly but when I do I just apply 1-2 tiny sprays. That’s all you need to experience the power of this super oudy dark brew. I don’t know if I’m the only one who gets this note but I think that the Tigerwood oils have somekind of gasoline vibe to them and that makes them so addictive to me. I don’t know how long it took to figure out a formula like this but I’m sure this wasn’t an easy job. The performance of this perfume is brutal, it’ll last on your skin easily until the next day, on your clothes until you wash them. 10/10`
—Chris A
/ Germany
The first perfume I purchased from EO, and it is the most loved one in my entire collection, also my journey with EO start from Parfum forward.
The review about this is everywhere on this page – cold, dark, bold, strong, masculine, heavy, cacao, tobacco everything top-up on Tigerwood Royale => it is true, you can read all about it online but here is my story:
1 spray of Tigerwood to me is like quick jab to front face with the bold of pepper spice and clove, right away come the left hook with strong coffee cacao on top of a finish right uppercut to the jaw of Tigerwood Royale + oakmoss and tobacco.
I thought Michael Tyson is done but without mercy, deliver a killing blow – a straight right to the face with dark deep spicy powerful Kashmiri Musk carry sweet resin in it.
This is why I love Tigerwood so much, it is very potent scent yet carry a lot of Oud in it but not boring at all due to cacao coffee but not sweet gourmand direction, but rather raw resinous roasted direction AND the thing make it unique stand out is bitter stinky of Kashmiri Musk.
—Jack N
/ USA
Oh boy I wish I had a lot more of this. My favorite scent of all time probably. To me it’s an amazing masculine masterpiece. Wish I could wear it more often.
—Wyatt K
/ USA
Tigerwood: Terengganu opens with a leathery tone, touched with mint and rich, resinous depth. It has raw cacao, coffee, and tobacco, with a bold Tigerwood leading into an oud base. Coffee dominates, with the top notes playing a minor role. The scent features layers of raw agarwood resin, Kashmiri musk, and black ambergris.
—Adib H
/ Malaysia
Possibly my favorite oud spray in my collection, Tigerwood was my first Ensar Oud spray that I felt was perfectly my style, a fragrance that its liquid and composition scream absolute darkness, there are no pretty notes, there are no top notes, simply an amalgamation of resins with an absurd amount of oud, the oud used here I would describe as crude gasoline, raw leather, smoke/incense (not zen like) and resinous peppery, coming from one side more commercial, the oud(malayan region) used here is for me what should be the industry standard, popular opinion wants us to think that all ouds are stinky, animalistic and unusable but once again it is simply the distortion that large companies use to hide the true to average consumer.
Notes: Black Tea, Black pepper, Clove,Tigerwood Royale oud, Cacao, Coffee, Patchouli, Tobacco, Oakwood, Oakmoss, Peru Balsam, Kashmiri Musk, Bourbon Vanilla, Raw Agarwood Resin, Black Ambergris SQ.
—Paulo C
/ USA
Good evening OUDDICTS and FRAGNATICS, not sure how many of you are college baseball fans, but I can tell you that in Louisiana, we bleed PURPLE & GOLD and love our LSU TIGERS. Well my beloved LSU TIGERS won their 7th College World Series of Baseball. So to celebrate, I doused myself in the a few of our purple and gold EO’s.
That deep oudiness of the TIGERWOOD that makes you feel like you are walking on the velvety, moss covered jungle trails where the TIGERS are roaming. That TIGERLUST then gives me that animalic blast of civet mixed with a touch of ambergris that anchored a bit of smokiness from the tobacco, reminding a smoldering camp fire. Then that lighttening in a bottle, the PURPLE KINAM—enought said!!
—Jason M
/ USA
Got this beauty. Absolutely love it, if darkness had a smell , this would be it. Perfect Halloween scent…
Stop caring so much and wear what you love when ever you feel like it.
2 sprays of Tigerwood. My favorite Dark scent in my collection. The abyss itself.
—Sherling S
/ Dominican Republic
As I’ve always been a big fan of the tigerwood oils I’m really happy that I can share my thoughts on this release with you guys.
I remember a few months ago when my fellow oud head Marvin told me about the Tigerwood Royale and how good it is.
I’ve decided to get a bottle and once I took the applicator out I fell in love with this oil.
The powerful, dark, resinous and almost petrol like notes blew my mind and I was like, this one as a perfume would be the holy grail of oud perfumery.
Now I’m sitting here in front of this bottle of pitch-black juice having my thoughts about how to describe this masterpiece.
And just to let you know, I’ve never struggled that big to describe a fragrance before.
The Tigerwood perfume starts with a very powerful opening. You get a big blast of Tigerwood Royale mixed with roasted coffe, peppery notes, tobacco and cacao.
Don’t get me wrong it’s not gourmand it’s super dark and the cacao/coffee/tobacco combination works perfectly together with the tigerwood.
After a few minutes the Oakwood gets noticeable together with the ambergris and all the other ingredients, I’d say they’re more in the background to boost things up.
The main player in this composition is like the name says the Tigerwood.
You can also clearly notice that there’s Kashmir musk in it but it’s so perfectly blended into this scent that it won’t disturb the power of the TW Royale or take over.
After a while, the tigerwood smell is still very dominant, but the cacao/coffee and the peppery notes are softening down, and you can get some very decent sweet accords.
Tbh the crazy thing about this perfume is that it’s like the tigerwood is the basic structure of a building and all the other ingredients are the facade which gets build up slowly and makes it better and better.
I really don’t know how this is possible, but this perfume works completely differently compared to other creations.
Usually, you get top, heart, and base notes, which make the experience of a fragrance more structured. You can notice when a top note starts, where it ends and when the heart note begins. In this case, it’s completely different because it seems that there is not really an end to the different notes; they just get softer and mix themselves with the other notes, but they’re not gone completely, like it’s the case in other fragrances.
You can smell them all the time and like I’ve mentioned before they’re all working as a background enhancement for the tigerwood.
Even after a few hours you still can get some hints of all the good things which have been blended into this perfume.
What I like the most of this fragrance is that the mainplayer aka Tigerwood Royale stays super strong over the whole time and that this scent lasts for a long time.
My final statement for this perfume would be: If you love dark, resinous scents and if you have been a fan of the tigerwood oils, this perfume is everything that you’ve always been looking for.
All in all this perfume is a 9.5 out of 10 for me. Maybe you wonder why it’s not a full 10 out of 10? Simply because you should always leave some room for improvement, and since I have got a special edition of this fragrance with a full gram of Filipino exclusive oud in the bottle, I’m sure that this perfume is going to evolve and improve over time.
—Chris A
/ Germany
Months of anticipating a parfum built around the Tigerwood Royale Oud has come to an end. Having worn this a fair amount since receiving it, it’s easy to see why it took Ensar so long to get it right and why the wait was worth it. I present to you my written review of Tigerwood Parfum.
Within the first second of wearing this you come to understand why this is simply called “Tigerwood Parfum”. To describe the smell of Tigerwood Oud, I like to think of a metaphorical entrance gate of a Mosque—one with red mahogany doors. Rather than being etched in, deep pockets of cola coloured Resin imbued are into the wood to create geometrical patterns. As you walk through the overarching doors, you feel the dormant heat made up of years of incense burning emanate from the wood. Not smokey or spicy, but simply heat.
Whenever you walk into an empty Mosque, you often make observations which do not arise when it is bustling with people. These observations very much remind me of this fragrance.
Tigerwood Parfum feels uber opulent yet very approachable, in the same way in which a Mosque may be adorned like a palace but open to all. There is some sense of ruggedness in the way that it projects, yet the composition is extremely smooth—reminds me of how the carpet fibres retain some spring despite being smoothed out through years of use. There is a gourmand feel, but this fragrance isn’t a gourmand. There is a fruitiness which provides a thin layer of sweetness, such as dates (if you’re lucky, you might find a leftover date seed smudged into the carpet during Ramadan). Just a hint of coffee, which more so amps up the woody feel rather than make the fragrance feel caffeinated. The black ambergris in this gives it an aqueous feel that is akin to the slight alkaline taste of Zam Zam water. Either black or white pepper, but some type of pepper note is present which reminds me of the smell of some the older Rihals kept at a Mosque. My favourite aspect of this fragrance though is the way in which the Oakmoss interacts with all of this. It evokes an unmistakably nostalgic feel—the scent that comes from the pages of an antiquated Quran. I’m talking about those reddish-brown Qurans where the golden design of the cover is starting to fade, the binding is delicate, and the once coarse paper has now become smooth ivory. This aged papery feel make this fragrance so unique, yet so comforting for me.
Going back to how I would describe the Tigerwood Royale oud, all of what I say about this parfum can be said about the oud itself. It makes sense given that 15% of this composition is just pure Tigerwood Royale. Tigerwood Parfum takes all of the minor facets of the oil and amplifies it. It’s not that the doors of this metaphorical Mosque are Tigerwood, the pillars, minarets, mimbar, and dome are also Tigerwood. The burgundy indigo tinge is right there, so it’s cool that the case reflects that. The fragrance lasts from Fajr to Asr or Maghrib (timezone dependent) on my skin, can survive a wudhu, and projects enough for the person standing directly behind/ahead of you to smell it. Overall, I’m extremely pleased to have this in my collection!
—Sohail D
/ New Zealand
This is some incredible mind-blowing stuff.
Tigerwood smells like something very old and musky type of scent which I like but I can’t figure out anything else apart from old musky notes… Love… [it] …for sure!
—Leonardo S
/ USA
Of my favorites.
Raw darkness.
—Sherling S
/ Dominican Republic
