Sultan Red Rose: Isparta

Imagine walking down the halls of an imperial library where, instead of books, each shelf is lined with green boxes containing crystal flasks filled with sinking-grade agarwood; the choicest rose harvests the world has to offer; musk pods from all species of deer dating back centuries; colossal ambergris rocks… frankincense, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver – all carefully selected by a team of experts who serve one solitary customer and none besides.

As a kid, I used to wonder about the galaxies and it never failed to bewilder my mind. Thinking about the number of centennial agarwood trees needed to fill up such a collection is even more mind-boggling.

What if you could wander through this osmotheque? Not just roam freely but also swipe to your heart’s content; explore and open the green boxes that house the crystals and the gold flasks, untouched by sun or light. Unopened for decades.

Where would you even begin? As you ponder how many tons of black agarwood must have gone into filling those flasks, you can’t help by think “For all the advancements in perfumery, how come nothing smells like this anymore?”

After the tour, the curator gives you full access and commissions you to compose a perfume for the man who made it his mission to gather all these aromatics from all over the world. You may open and choose any of the green boxes for the composition, and pocket as much musk & ambergris as you can carry.

Then, once you’ve lined up your selection and tinctured the musk and ambergris, the curator pulls out a special box and tells you, “Here, make this the star of the show…”

Little did anyone know that this library existed, and that forty-odd years after those flasks were put on the shelves, they’d end up in the EO atelier. And that, from the atelier, instead of going to the patron who made it all possible the perfume would end up in a bottle, on your shelf.

The curator’s secret ingredient was a blend of rose, oud, and spices you could “smell from 15 miles away” (this is how Omanis describe the royal collection). A mukhallat composed by time as the ingredients have macerated year after year into a scent you cannot decipher. You smell the rose—but what a rose! And the oud—but what oud! Like the library’s antique musk, separate pieces turned into an inseparable whole, you get to indulge in a fragrance that’s literally from another era.

A soft whiff of cardamom fused with an unorthodox duo of green mandarin and French rose lines the top notes which gradually make way for the full force of what Sultan Red Rose has to showcase: two rare harvests of vintage and exceptionally diffusive Ta’ifi rose extracts that form the heart of the composition.

Vintage rose and oud, even if simply blended neat create this rich deep-red liqueur which is a beautiful companion to the red tenor of Rose de Mai with that slight tinge of mandarin amped up with a citrus sweet Hojari note.

The heady vintage heart is enhanced by one of my most prized sinking-grade Malaysians, which adds a layer of resinous, pull-your-hair-out gorgeous, oudy element to the composition.

Distilled decades ago, the Sultan’s sinking-grade Malaysian oud is so rich, you smell it right in the opening, while its ultra replete agarwoody profile is brought to life by the diffusive power of the Ta’ifi roses.

If you’ve smelled Oud Sultani and Purple Kinam, picture a mix of the two and you’ll have a rough idea what the Malaysian smells like.

This narcotic purpleness drenched in that sinking-oud-rose mukhallat’s velvet liqueur heart gives off gentle wafts of Hojari sweetness in the background, intertwined with the lush olde Malayzi with just a touch of tobacco to compliment the juicy tone the Ta’ifi roses bring to the profile.

As you know by now, whatever came from the Sultan’s collection would be, almost by default, a vintage collectible. But it’s crucial to keep in mind that there’s a difference between something that came from the Sultan and something that belonged in the Sultan’s own collection. 

Not everything from the Sultan was the Sultan’s own stash. There was a niche that belonged to Sultan Qaboos – roses and ouds and mélanges he had made for himself. Oud chips so incredible they went straight into his personal collection. Agarwood so fantastic, he dipped them in molten ambergris which he then heated for his private enjoyment.

What you may not have known is that the royal palace had a special room that was reserved for older collectibles that belonged to the Sultan’s mother and father – like the old musk pods that were inherited over generations, these were olfactory gems that predate the Sultan’s own collection. 

The best of the Sultan’s Indo-Chinese ouds and rose extracts date back to the 1980s, while the Indo-Malay ouds are generally from the 90s. All pristinely aged aromatics, either way. The ouds in particular were the Sultan’s own passion, and the finest ones were the ones he had made for himself (like his own vintage oud in this perfume), so those produced during the 70s-90s would be on par or likely superior to distillations done prior to his emphasis on getting the finest agarwood the world had to offer.

As for an age-old established tradition like rose extraction, you could acquire the world’s top harvest by claiming it the way royalty can – and the Omani Sultanate has a history of acquiring the finest harvests.

When it comes to his parents’ collection, it’s difficult to date anything. They may well be decades older than his own oils. 

Instead of talking about what the Sultan’s mother’s vintage rose may smell like, here’s your chance to actually smell it. 

This incredibly rare Isparta extract is from that room that houses his family’s collection, and the fact that this rose remained there almost a century later indicates something of its value and quality. 

It’s a rose otto (not an absolute), which means it captures the scent of the petals more clearly. The profile is beautifully ethereal, incredibly smooth, with Turkish rose’s lush red aroma on full display. Courtesy of the many decades this oil has been maturing, you’ll find the sweetness not jarring but soulfully creamy. 

Not only is this the oldest rose oil I know of currently available anywhere, this is the only perfume in the world that contains it. 

Creating a perfume using our curator’s vision to acquire the world’s most delectable ouds and flowers and unite them in what would become a royal artifact—embroidered by today’s most sought-after aromatics—was a challenge and a privilege.

Few have heard… felt… an oud tree heavy with hard sinking resin hit the ground—the earth doesn’t shake; it thunders—or gazed at football fields full of roses, or swam out to collect a massive floating ‘rock’ at sea, or tried to clean up after handling the stickiest musk pods from yesteryear.

But that’s what you get here, bottled.

Featured Testimonials…

The Sultan Red Rose Isparta is truly a story of its own. I still remember the time when I didn’t like rose scents at all. It was a long search, but eventually, I found the best rose fragrance… that’s you. You are like the dear Sultan, sitting proudly on his throne after defeating his enemies in battle.

This scent has the power to make me forget all the bad things. When I smell it, I feel as if I’m diving into another world. It’s the incredible components that make this fragrance so harmonious. But the best part is the high-quality roses that Ensar has used. They are simply dreamy and give the scent a special touch. Every time I smell the Sultan Red Rose Isparta, I feel as if I’m in a garden full of blooming roses, and I want this wonderful scent to last forever.

UPDATE:

Sultan Red Rose by Ensar Oud has been more than just a fragrance — it has been a silent witness to my journey across the USA, Europe, Italy, France, and Poland. In every city, from the bustling streets of Manhattan to the sun-drenched piazzas of Rome, the tender bloom of rose and the deep soul of oud wrapped around me like an invisible comfort, reminding me of beauty, longing, and belonging all at once. It turned hotel rooms into homes and fleeting moments into lasting memories.

Now, here with me in India, Sultan Red Rose feels even more precious — a pocket of pure luxury that carries the stories of every place I’ve loved. Every time I wear it, I’m transported, not just by the richness of its scent, but by the emotions it so effortlessly stirs. It’s not just a perfume; it’s my personal treasure chest of moments, people, and dreams.

I love this version of SRRI ..this has been my travel partner my companion across the globe.

—Miskbrother S

This version of Sultan Red Rose is a true beauty. It contains the DNA of SRR obviously but coming with a bit difference. Compared to the old one, it is a bit darker and more intense due to some different materials used, such as Isparta Rose from SQ. Also, the tobacco is heavier in this composition, which shows a green vibe.

Spraying on skin, musk is the first note I could detect. This musky note is very elegant and soft enough, having a furry smoothing texture, not animalistic at all. Isparta rose mixed with Taifi Rose and Rose de Mai, this combo gives a fruity and jammy touch to the opening. It is very SRR and easy to recognise the scent if you have tried the OG. However, OG is lighter and airier than Isparta version, thanks to huge amount of Ta’ifi Rose being used.

Talking about the oud, despite the sinking grade Malaysian oud, the oud scent profile shows some similar facets of Borneo oud, which reminds me of Oud Ertugrul II. Coming with a touch of cinnamon, this adds additional layer to the composition.

I would say SRR Isparta is more balanced and properly adjusted by those minor changes. I am very glad to take recommendation from a friend to grab a bottle of 50ml.

—Yisean Z / Australia

Reviews of the previous edition of Sultan Red Rose…

This is Rose/Oud done right, a beautiful composition.

Imagine Tibetan Musk with the jammy, and ethereal sweet rose amped up. Add a bit of spice, resins, a nice kick of Oud, and a hint of Rambutan and Lychee undertone. A lot of depth, very elegant, and uplifting. This is exactly how I imagine all Rose/Oud compositions are supposed to smell like.

Now that I’m spoiled by it, not sure how am I going to settle for anything less. Sultan Red Rose is the benchmark and the reference for all Rose/Oud combo, at least it is for me. This profile has imprinted and registered in my scent memory bank permanently, can’t be undone now.

What a gorgeous scent, almost feel undeserving to be wearing the SRR in my pajama at home, this one deserves a tuxedo, no less.

Bravo Ensar Oud, another gem under your belt.

Ben W. (USA)