Mongolian Musk – Running Low

Isn’t it strange how oud and musk seem to always walk hand-in-hand whenever you’re looking for one or the other?

Sometimes ambergris tags along, but every oud lover at some point seeks out the trail of musk, while those who have been smitten by the odor of raw musk inevitably fall in love with oud. 

When they’re together, magic happens. 

Magic cast through different spells: The potent urinal bite of Russia’s kabarga jives differently to skanky Kashmiri which seems a bit rough set against the bitter, herbaceous sweetness of Mongolian kudari. 

It’s especially the tantalizing bitterness of raw Mongolian musk that begs to be dunked into oud and demands to be turned into a sensual royale aroma.

You could make a strong case that musk is even rarer than oud. There are certainly more people who don’t want you to touch the stuff. Try to sell a pod over the counter and they’d close down your shop.

If Big Fragrance could have their way, we’d be infusing tofu musk instead of proper pods… wait… most perfumers actually do use the tofu subs…

Musk and oud go together like Jules and Vincent because they tug at and awaken the same primal desires in us. Many would say it’s exactly because of that pull that there’s such a massive market built on their counterfeits.

I know only one or two people you can buy a raw Mongolian musk pod from, and they’re not always available. You’d notice that these pods are a touch dry and a lighter hue of brown in color. Good stuff. But I’m not talking about these…

The Mongolian musk in this perfume looks and feels like a vintage, well-worn leather pouch that’s seen the world. The leathery skin is almost black, thin and smooth to the touch but tough to cut. Inside, the grains are still moist. The pods are easily a century old; likely even older. 

Mongolian Musk isn’t just a perfume that’s out to show off musk’s pizazz. I’ll say it again: it’s not the musk itself but the magic the musk works on the dancers around it!

And here’s where things get interesting…

There are smells that never existed, but now do – people two hundred years ago could never have smelled oud from Rayong. Then there are smells that once existed but now don’t.

And then there are scents that by all accounts do not exist – or ought not to exist anymore – but through some rip in the fabric of time do: the musk that’s in this perfume is one of those…

That’s one of the miracles of the age we live in: the chance to discover a smell like this, a fragrance that never existed, never could have existed, and today shouldn’t really exist – but it does. And it’s yours to indulge in.

TOP
Black Pepper
Cinnamon Bark
Honey
Carob

HEART
Puerh
Ylang Ylang
Attar made by Sultan Qaboos

BASE
SQ Mongolian Musk
Rayong Agarwood
Indian Agarwood
SQ Sandalwood
Kupang Sandalwood
Massoia Bark

Oozing amidst the musk and the oud and the decades-old Sultani sandalwood and the black tea and honeyed carob, there’s a unique touch that makes Mongolian Musk truly Sultani: An attar made by Sultan Qaboos himself. 

The attar is one of the most limited aromatics I’ve ever had to work with, probably because the Sultan could never have known that his own attar will end up in your perfume! 

I haven’t smelled something quite like it before and incorporating it into a perfume was challenging. Even the final iterations went through several drafts because of how the attar interacted with the composition. 

But the struggle aside, the Sultan’s attar allowed me to create a fragrance I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. And specifically how it plays on the bittersweetness of the Mongolian grains to create the rouge effect that I find to be among the most addictive sprays we’ve ever put out.

Then again, it also has to do with the musk-oud affair; that feral invitation to a more natural, yes even animalic world that strangely feels like home. A sweaty musky sultry allure some would pretend not to like because it goes against mainstream sensitivities – but behind the doors, they can’t stop sniffing…

Featured Testimonials…

If you like Raw, potent, Slight bitter and animalic musk,

With perfect balance of oud,

This is for you.

Its Spicy/chocolatey/Slight sweet floral top,

Combining with noticeable Ylang ylang,

And that Musky/Oudy base

Is to die for.

A very exotic take on musky perfume for sure.

—Mohammad B / Bangladesh

This is too good. It’s a beautiful chocolatey, sensual, and animalic musk. The musk is animalic, but you will definitely keep on sniffing it, very addictive. It’s definitely suitable for the night out. I think it will show you its different characters and personalities in different weather.

 

Overall assessment:

 

This is an update or overall assessment on my initial impressions above. This fragrance blended so nicely and it’s so complex. You will get lots of honey, cinnamon, and that beautiful chocolatey musk. I did get a raspberry-like note or feel to this (this raspberry note or element faintly reminded me of Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather), but as the fragrance progressed it became more clear that it was perhaps the cinnamon and honey giving that impression. The cinnamon and honey combination in this is so sexy, it gives of this berry-like aura, specifically raspberries. This is a sweet and elegant fragrance; the chocolatey musk feels like as if you are adding chocolate shavings on honey.

 

Beautiful stuff!

—Rezwan G / Canada

Wearing this for last two days and every time I have sprayed it blew my mind!

In the beginning, I got some sweet florals like with some sweet spices. But it developed into something more mysterious and beautiful. It develops to sweet little vanillin and floral Ylang Ylang is clearly noticeable. With time progress this composition moves to something beyond my capacity to be explained I think that SQ attar did the magic. Component musk, sandalwood, oud, incense, florals, spices all start to play together. It is quite hard to decipher as almost every time you will detect something different keeping that floral and sweet spice note as a constrain.

 

Drydown is a magical symphony of sweet note, oud, sandalwood and musk!

What a composition!

 

Probably will take the best musk throne from Tibetan or Tonkin musk to my nose.

It is very potent, not very challenging and has a monster longevity.

Definitely a bottle worthy!

—Al-Amin A / Bangladesh

Finally I could get my hands on the new Mongolian Musk perfume , so why not sharing a little first impression

 

First of all I think the description on the website is matching perfectly to this scent.

 

“A sweaty musky sultry allure some would pretend not to like because it goes against mainstream sensitivities – but behind the doors, they can’t stop sniffing…”

 

And yeah once you’ve sprayed it you can’t stop sniffing it.

It opens slightly sweet with a touch of spices, a fusion of creamy sandalwood and the chocolat-sweaty Mongolian musk.

 

This super dark brew is indeed very different compared to all the other musk scents that I’ve smelled so far.

I’ve read that some people experience this perfume as too sweet and heavy on cinnamon but I think that everything’s properly dosed and blended. A very balanced and powerful musk experience with the perfect amount of animalics (for my taste).

 

1 spray on the arm lasted over my entire shift at work (7,5 hrs) and I think if I wouldn’t have taken a shower at the evening I could still smell it.

 

The new Plaques are also very nice and definetly a welcomed upgrade to the oldschool gold plaques

 

Overall a great release

 

I’m sure a few of the almost 2800 people in here have ordered it as well, I’d like to read some of your thoughts on this release

—Chris A / Germany