Encens Royale 1985

It-s been just a few short years since we started releasing our agarwood oldies.

As much as I-d like to pretend we have plenty more where they came from, we don-t. I-ve already gone into panic mode a number of times thinking of the irreplaceable distillations we-ve let go.  

You might think that I-m guilty of hyperbole; that I-m exaggerating or making boisterous claims. But let-s look at it for a second. Am I really?

How many vintage ouds—I-m not even talking about quality ouds—how many olde ouds have you come across lately? Actually, forget lately, how many vintage ouds have you come across in the last couple of years? When you hear someone say that Hainan 2005 is unmatched value anywhere in the world at this time, it couldn-t be less of an exaggeration. Try to find just one other 13-years-old wild Chinese oud on offer—or any wild Chinese oud. Where are the olde Papuans or the ground-up tigerwood? Unless you own Oud Ishaq, have you even heard of an olde Thai?

So, I-m not flipping out the rarity card for showman-s sake. Even a semi-serious oud collector knows it-s not a marketing gimmick. I want you to appreciate just how precious these ouds are. We walk in the innermost circles of the agarwood world and, believe it or not, the big bosses all lament and long for the olden days when oud like this wasn-t like finding a needle in a haystack. Not just the big bosses. Any newbie, any start-up, anyone who steps foot through this fragrant door knows this. These smells only come around once in a blue moon. For most, never at all.

There was a craze not long ago when everyone was working overtime to get the age-effect. Either that, or you were lead to believe maturation doesn-t matter. Or that some ouds don-t need it. I found the whole affair very telling. It revealed the desperation… from inside the oud world. The insatiable crave of vendors and distillers themselves to get their hands on vintage distillations—but can-t.

This is not a diss at any of those claims. It-s just that most now know that they-re false and that age can—and does—work wonders. If you-re not convinced, dab on a drop of Encens Royale 1985 and experience the difference first-hand.

Here-s a smell you just can-t fake. A penetrating blast of oudiness that can-t be cryogenically captured with argon gas, or gold. Force-aging the finest fresh oils might give you an echo of its top notes, but only for 7 seconds, when it tumbles down the abyss of dust and dank as all force-aged ouds do.

Always remember that aging is not a cure for bad oud.

For an oud to smell like this, 33 years later, is a marvel. The rich aloes liqueur oozes of that old-world oud that-s all velvet and loudly ambient. Distinctly resinous, oud chip crackling away on old-school charcoal, misty vapors flooding the room. You know what I-m talking about—not the low temp, listen-closely kind of oils. Oud that takes you to when you first smelled its magic. If you missed out on those days, this is an indispensable gem.

Encens Royale 1985 is Oud Royale 1985-s brother, distilled from the same centennial Sumatran mother trees back during Reagan's heyday. Encens Royale 1985 shares OR85-s profile, yet unleashes a thicker layer of incense and packs more spice—which makes it a nominee for OUDIEST oud released this… year… decade……this century? It doesn-t get oudier than this, is all you know. And it-s this overflowing oudiness that three full decades imbues a bottle of oud with.

There-s a reason the original Oud Royale is hailed as the greatest oud. Just as Oud Royale 1985 followed in its footsteps and hardly anyone has anything to say against it. They-re also both sold out. Just like I-m wondering how, with which oils, our Olde Oud page will stay open. Encens Royale 1985 is every bit as good, and just as precious. Certainly to some, even more so.

Oud of this caliber has been a rarity even in times of plenty. A quick fact-check will suffice: how many 30+ years-aged ouds have you seen in the past 2 years? 5 years? 10? So, as the big bosses set sail towards real estate deals, new restaurants and malls, as they wave farewell to agarwood and look back at all the gaharu that is no more, take a sparing swipe of Encens Royale 1985…… that-s the smell agarwood history, bottled.