We went into this, heart and soul. Pots boiled up blood, tears and sweat for the last five years. Grey hairs have grown plenty and we’ve gotten to know many beautiful people and distilled some exquisite oils. And so, it’s with a heavy heart that I look through the peephole to see a dark, dismal […]
Take a new distill. Collect the final drops, uncap the container, and leave the oud exposed for three months, ten months, two years, and you’ll get – in a distorted echo – a whiff of Tigerwood 1995… for two minutes. For a massive number of oud users, those two minutes of imitation-age matter more than any notes […]
What is it about Maroke ouds? They’ve got this medicinal scent that captures a somber green aroma you can’t find in any other kind of oud. They often smell like fresh wet earth, a dense forest in the rain. For some, they’re the pinnacle of the oud scent. Some love them for their extreme oudiness. […]
Why does one bottle of oud cost $300 more than the next, or even $700 more? You’ll hear it’s all about the raw materials, but what exactly does that mean? And is that all there is to it? In the coming weeks, I’d like to share a series of insights that give you a peek at what […]
It has been brought up time and again that using the term ‘Kyara’ in naming oud oils is misleading and inappropriate. So I think the time has come for some clarifications to be made, and some questions to be asked. Firstly, no one knows what kyara is. Let me repeat that: No one knows what constitutes kyara. No one can explain […]
1 | Kruger, our distiller monk and a member of the local mafia take their seats at a small restaurant just before sunset. They order Tom Yum and steamed fish. When the waiter brings their drinks, Kruger turns to the mafia member. The monk had once told him about his father’s escapades when he was […]
1 | There are several leads I want to follow up with in Sri Lanka. Not the least of which is to visit the new distillery an old friend of mine is setting up there. There’s a lot of agarwood talk going on in, around, and about the island, so it’s not difficult to see why […]
The Great Cambodian Experiment: XI As you’re about to enter his home, on your left, you’ll see Mr. Nhek’s well. Round, poured of cement, and very deep, with a cracked up plastic bucket tied to a rope resting on the rim on top. I’ve been down the streets of Koh Kong City many times, through […]
The Great Cambodian Experiment X Men dressed in khaki shirts with technicolor stripes stitched all over their pockets, tucked into khaki pants held up by big black belts, starred epaulets decorating their shoulders, stand watch over the throng of people passing by within a few meters of them. A barricade funnels people toward their security post […]
The Great Cambodian Experiment: IX Flickering through the backseat window like a film reel, my tired eyes wonder at the romance of truck drivers asleep beside the road. Midnight, wives and kids and dreams spread across a creased country map folded up, tin canned tuna, benzene for the truck, caffeine for the driver. We make a pit stop to […]