Kambodi 1976

Sometimes, you don’t have to do much. The oud does the talking for you. 

When you make perfume like Oud Yusuf, half your job is already done by the sheer splendor of the oud around which you’re building the perfume. Oud Yusuf, the oud, needs no introduction, and anyone introduced to its apricotty goodness falls in love with its pretty aroma.

But Oud Yusuf is still a young lad. Yet, if such a lovely organic oud can produce such a marvelous fragrance that “no oud perfume has ever achieved this extent of elegance, left me such a remarkable olfactory experience. A perfume that fits very much the aesthetic of East Asia.” (Miqi Pan, China)… if this is the progeny, imagine the progenitor! 

The world-leading cultivation efforts in Thailand and Cambodia exist because of the legendary oud that once came from those jungles. So, imagine if you could compose a perfume, instead of around a modern organic rendition, you could use the much older, much wilder, and more aged oud that birthed the cultivated offspring. What if you could use the much richer, more expensive, almost impossible-to-find progenitor of Oud Yusuf? The oud that made Cambodian oud THE oud in many people’s books? 

Not oud like those vintage legends, but a legend itself?

Kambodi 1976 is utterly drenched in vintage Cambodian oud. It’s not just a note or a tiny percentage of the composition. This is the famed Oud Combodi in the flesh, fleshed out and accentuated with juhi and pink lotus, red rose, and our in-house oud-style red sandalwood oil (seven-years old).

If I were to ask you what’s the one scent that was made for the vintage ripe-red-fruity savoriness of the finest olde Cambodis, what would you say it is?

There’s a list of ‘problematic’ ingredients in perfumery, ones the industry or mainstream perfumes recommend you don’t use, or only use in minute quantities. 

The real problem here is that one of them happens to be the catalyst for turning the old-school Cambodi’s rouge into a blossoming bouquet. In perfumery terms, the bridge ingredient that lets the red of the juhi and the Japanese rose and the lilies all melt into the pool of Koh Kong’s red to let you spritz a perfume that oozes out the Cambodi’s legendary resinous flavor without it getting lost on your skin.

So, when it’s the perfect solution, don’t call castoreum a problem. I’d go further to say it’s a gift to both you and me to even experience such aromatics in union because… where else do you find them in tango? #only@EO

To inaugurate my new hyper-oud-centric perfumery for the year, I put Cambodia in the spotlight not only because it’s the oud heard round the world, but also because it’s where my own oud journey took on a new direction. Cambodia inspired our Organic Oud initiative, which led us all to beauties like Oud Yusuf, Oud Yusha, and Encens d’Angkor. This perfume is an ode to that journey and the legendary old sinkers that inspired it all. 

In case you were wondering, Oud Yusuf and Kambodi 1976 are entirely different compositions. If Oud Yusuf is lovely and pretty, then Kambodi 1976 is refined and wise. Its top notes are smoother, the heart notes deeper, and the base an abyss of old Cambodi resin.

If you’re bored with the sameness of so many perfumes, or if you’d like to inject your artisanal perfume journey with luxury, then K76 is for you. If you’re a frag junkie like me who relishes the experience of treating your olfactory receptors to previously-unsmelled succulence, then let me remind you that Oud Cambodi didn’t become Oud Cambodi for no reason. Smell why…

Ships by 21 Feb.

Featured Testimonials…

I’ve been using my Kambodi 76 for the past couple of days… man, it’s the best Ensar I’ve smelt in a long time. That cambodi is a powerful, but not invasive presence, and I’m mesmerized.  It’s lush…and very refined.  Everything is servant to this oud.  The amount of K76 in it is more than any other I’ve ever smelled.  The red rose is so well integrated with the oud…I’m in heaven.  I keep shaking my head in astonishment.  Out of the ballpark! Thank you Ensar and the team.  

—Bev W / USA