1984

Forgive me for not disclosing how much oakmoss is in here. 

The Mongolian musk is from Sultan Qaboos’ collection, or more likely from his predecessors’. It’s a magical, ultra-rare beast of a fixative no perfumer I know of has the privilege of using. 1984’s entire carrier contains it.

There’s more Papuan oud in here than in all of the perfumes in history combined. If that trips up other ‘oud’ perfumes… let me just say I’m truly sorry.

Why didn’t you use jasmophore or methyl tuberate? Did you really have to go with proper tuberose absolute, the kind that costs more than some ouds? Or jasmine sambac that lets people smell like they’re walking toward a blooming jasmine garden at sunset while sniffing a swipe of Borneo Diesel on the way? Oh yes… Borneo Diesel… that’s in here!

1984’s concentration is so dense, a spritz may leave a velvety trail of oil on your skin. Whoops. Next time I’ll water it down to the minimum amount required to qualify as an extrait de parfum, instead of exceeding the max. And this doesn’t take into account the carrier composed of SQ sandalwood and those sticky black Mongolian musk pods…

But then, would you prefer your perfume share its DNA with pretty much every other perfume?

Or… are you up for venturing outside the gated walls and experiencing what musk does to tuberose and what oud does to lily of the valley and how yuzu and chamomile ride the wave on top as the vintage musk and sandalwood shake them all up?

This is what a nonconformist perfume smells like. Fresh, but oh so decked-out. The bitter yuzu comes lined with the green of aged gyrinops, the buttery white flower sweetness of jonquil gently tinted with the purple pollen of rosemary and the herbaceous and ever-disputed grace of a fat dose of oakmoss – the Papuan oud and oakmoss alone is a crisp, herbaceous, foresty combo to die for. 

You might think that sandalwood is contra-fresh or that its calming golden tone is anti-green. But coupled with massoia bark and chamomile, the vintage SQ sandalwood + Mysore from the 70s imbues the green, summer-fresh tenor of 1984 with a delectable gourmand shade… which you (surprisingly!) smell mid-air as you spray. That sandalicious semi-dry buttery pitch moistened by the green bite that defines the zesty top notes jam together like reggae and dreads. Pineapple and bergamot.

But it’s the rich, potent animalic blast of those old, old Mongolian grains in which everything swims that marries these precious aromatics in such unorthodox fashion. Gives the fragrance its sexy pizzazz and lets it gush with loud projection.

Only 42 bottles were made. Each bottle contains 2 grams of Borneo Diesel on top of the original compound, bringing the concentration to ~40%.

Borneo Diesel is an unreleased Oriscent distillation we did about seven years ago, and is as good as Malinau oud can get. It has only been sold privately at $2,500 / 3gr, which means your bottle of 1984 contains $1,665 worth of BD inside. But, for this semi-bespoke edition, we’ve calculated it at a discounted rate – in the end, you get $765 worth of juice on the house. 

The hefty dose of Borneo Diesel adds a trippy resinous Bornean glaze to the profile and jacks up the effect of the Papuan oud as they’re morphed by the vintage musk into a cooling, piercing gust of oud that surges through the entire performance.

Featured Testimonials…

“Touchdown in Sunny California! First impressions are that this is an easy-to-wear, potent creation in the vein of Chypre Sultan that I’m very much enjoying. Don’t sleep on this one, people. I doubt this will be available on the resale market (similar to Oud Sultani 1975 PP). Go grab one of the few left at the 1500 price! And I think the work done by Habib Dingle on this leater case is the best yet!”

—Sameer K. / USA

Comparison: 1984 vs Chypre Sultan

I just sprayed 1984 again alongside Chypre Sultan.

1984 is definitely more animalic (especially for the first few minutes), has a deeper, darker oud accord, and smells more “dry.” Both have a similar citrusy/flowery vibe.

Although I will definitely be rocking 1984 in the summer heat, it is probably better suited for the fall whereas Chypre Sultan would be a perfect summer scent.

I think the main difference between the two is that 1984 is more musky than Chypre Sultan and is also more darker, thanks to the 2g of Borneo Diesel – which you should definitely try neat if you haven’t already. It’s a legendary oil and the reason why I pulled the trigger on this perfume.

All said and done, 1984 is by no means redundant if you already have Chypre Sultan but I would put them in the same category of style.

—Sameer K. / USA