EO 1: Hainan 2005

Leather and oud go together like king and crown, and there’s no sweeter spot between the rustic allure of Ensar’s artisanal—often mad—oud world and popular perfumery than this oudilicious addition to the cuir tradition. A rugged aroma that makes you wonder if Hemingway just lit up a Cuban, or if Churchill’s in town.

After 15 fragrant years, I finally took off my jungle jacket for a tie to dive headfirst into my debut spray parfum and create No 1. Since its first release, each iteration has had a unique flavor—still retaining the No 1 profile but showing off a different dimension—as we literally poured all we had of our precious distillations into the perfume.

I approach perfume the way I do oud distillation. That’s why No 1 is composed of the rarest, most expensive ingredients in all of perfumery, including copious amounts of precious ouds.

Not only is this among the highest quality oud fragrances that have ever been produced in spray-format, the entire composition is infused into a high-concentration, genuine raw ambergris tincture instead of just plain ethanol. Similar tinctures of this kind sell for around £400 for 30ml… here, it’s already included. But not just any ambergris…

I’ve literally been called stupid for insisting to use such olfactory gems in a perfume. In fact, most critics and ‘professionally trained’ perfumers advocate using synthetics exclusively. And I see their point. Why sacrifice rare rose and oud instead of synthetics that are 1000 times cheaper? Not to mention—and this is a staple argument—you never have to worry about reproducing the scent! (i.e. it’s scalable, so you can sell a lot more.)

This edition comes with the last of the No 1 handworked full-grain Italian calf leather pouches Sidi Habib Dingle (may he rest in peace) made with us.

I insist on these insanities because to me, and people like me, there IS a difference. You smell low-grade or lab-made oud (a.k.a. the ‘oud note’) and all you can do is laugh at how it’s being compared to real high-caliber oud. Most can’t even tell, but to any oud novice the difference is red and blue.

No 1 lets you exude wafts of a tobacco-heavy, old-school leather jacket aroma with an unmistakable Don Corleone kiss-my-hand-compagno esteem. Subtle, but not soft, with a base that’s all oud and vintage horse-saddle leather.

And now, this edition takes all the improvements made building up to this point and imbues it with the mighty bite of Hainan 2005.

“I am not worthy enough to describe this beauty [Hainan 2005]. The olfactory depth of this is truly mesmerizing.” —Rezwan G. / Canada

And that’s just the beginning. 

Art never wants to go backwards, and while the aficionados’ tastes may change along the way, from the artists’ point of view it’s always about improving. Compare Symphony No 9 to No 1, or Van Gogh’s early world vs later… 

In the case of this extremely limited edition, there’s no subjective improvement. This is objectively the best EO 1 I’ve made. 

To start with, the upgraded vintage Ta’ifi rose (which would otherwise be reserved for Oud Royale) is accompanied by a very rare rose extract of a rare species that shall remain unnamed.

Until recently, I’ve had no luck acquiring the same extract for about six years now, and because I learned years ago how this unique rose has a particularly deep red aroma that works wonders with tobacco and Hainanese oud, my first thought was: “This is going into EO 1: Hainan 2005!” 

But here’s the kicker: I’m using up most of what I have left of Hainan 2005 – on top of the oud that’s already in the composition.

You may recall that I sold only a little bit of the Hainan 2005 neat during Chinese New Years, and reserved the bulk to make this perfume. (The little that remains is now available here.)

Not only does this edition contain 3 grams of Hainan 2005, the overall composition contains DOUBLE the amount of oud. And because the Hainan 2005 component is added on top, it means the overall concentration is also higher than any previous EO 1 at ~40%.

While EO 1 has been showcased using the likes of Siem Reap oud, I usually opt for agallocha ouds because of how well their sour spicy warmth goes with No 1’s tobacco-leather profile.

Not only is there a full bottle’s worth of Hainan 2005 in here, and not only is the overall concentration higher, but the companion oud to Hainan 2005 (in the OG, the main player was Assamese oud) has also been upgraded in the form of Hindistan Kala – the only Hindi-Terengganu (i.e. Oud Sultani) co-distill in oud history.

“Hindistan Kala is fire!!! Best Hindi oud oil I’ve ever smelled.” —Ben W. / USA

I cannot think of a better companion oud to Hainan 2005. Hinditan Kala’s boozy tobacco fruity incense profile by itself would have been more than enough to carry and complement the EO 1 profile, so combined with that monster bite of Hainan 2005 the duo takes the whole brew to another level.

((When all is said and done, your bottle contains at least $2,118 worth of oud!!!))

The result is not only by far oudiest No 1 to date, but because of the unique Hainan 2005: Hindistan Kala combo plus the more diffusive quality of aged Ta’ifi otto, that leather jacket, cigar suave smells at once more zesty and opulent. And it all comes steeped in the late Sultan Qaboos’ own vintage ambergris – the same stones that went into Oud Royale.

No doubt, No 1 is not your typical Extrait de Parfum. It’s not supposed to be. I wouldn’t dream of topping the master cuirs that came before, nor do I subscribe to modern ‘industry standards’ of how long, how loud, and how far.

This is an indie cuir that’s limited and rare, where I simply wanted to add an OUD-inspired rendition to the legacy of Cuir de Russie et al. and offer perfume lovers the chance to experience just how amazing and exalting a fixative Artisanal Oud can be.

With EO 1: Hainan 2005, you pass third base to smell Oud & Leather drunk and in love, in a perfume that’s a first in a vibrant cuir heritage that’s been turning top hats and making hearts melt for decades.

LIMITED.

Featured Testimonials…

Reviews of previous editions…

Couple days ago I’ve mentioned that EO1 Sultani is my favorite from the EO1 series. So why is it my favorite ? First of all this version of EO1 feels like it’s the most polished and refined version of all the EO1s that I’ve tried.

The opening is such a blast, the interplay of the lavender together with the rose and ambergris is absolutely beautiful. It’s such a unique smell, kinda green and somehow a bit sour. I’d love to have a perfume that’s just smelling like the opening of EO1 Sultani. Every time when I spray it, I get flashbacks of my first time smelling an EO perfume.

The leather-tobacco smell in the EO1 sultani acts perfectly with the Anthill Assam oud and gives you that classic leatherjacket vibe ala EO in the most luxurious way possible. The quality of the new oud that has been used is very noticeable, it’s not as edgy as the one in the assam version, still animalic and very leathery (which is absolutely perfect in combination with the other notes) but you can smell that it’s aged and more balanced.

I’d also like to take a moment and appreciate the beautiful leather work by the recently passed leather master Habib Dingle, may he rest in peace

—Chris A / Germany