Isnāt it strange how oud and musk seem to always walk hand-in-hand whenever youāre 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.Ā
When theyāre together, magic happens.Ā
Magic cast through different spells: The potent urinal bite of Russiaās kabarga jives differently to skanky Kashmiri which seems a bit rough set against the bitter, herbaceous sweetness of Mongolian kudari.Ā
Itās especially the tantalizing bitterness of raw Mongolian musk that begs to be dunked into oud and demands to be turned into a sensual royaleĀ aroma.
You could make a strong case that musk is even rarer than oud. There are certainly more people who donāt want you to touch the stuff. Try to sell a pod over the counter and theyād close down your shop.
If Big Fragrance could have their way, weād be infusing tofu musk instead of proper podsā¦ waitā¦ most perfumers actually do use the tofu subsā¦
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 thereās 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 theyāre not always available. Youād notice that these pods are a touch dry and a lighter hue of brown in color. Good stuff. But Iām not talking about theseā¦
The Mongolian musk in this perfume looks and feels like a vintage, well-worn leather pouch thatās 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.Ā
Mongolian Musk isnāt just a perfume thatās out to show off muskās pizazz. Iāll say it again: itās not the musk itself but the magic the musk works on the dancers around it!
And hereās where things get interestingā¦
There are smells that never existed, but now do ā people two hundred years ago could never have smelled oud from Rayong. Then there are smells that once existed but now donāt.
And then there are scents that by all accounts do not exist ā or ought not to exist anymore ā but through some rip in the fabric of time do: the musk thatās in this perfume is one of thoseā¦
Thatās 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 shouldnāt really exist ā but it does. And itās 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, thereās a unique touch that makes Mongolian Musk truly Sultani: An attar made by Sultan Qaboos himself.Ā
The attar is one of the most limited aromatics Iāve ever had to work with, probably because the Sultan could never have known that his own attar will end up in your perfume!Ā
I havenāt 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.Ā
But the struggle aside, the Sultanās attar allowed me to create a fragrance I wouldnāt 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 weāve 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 ā but behind the doors, they canāt stop sniffingā¦
Featured Testimonials…
For all Musk-Fans out there this one is a must have. It starts with a sweet honey and cinnamon combo which is very strong. Alongside you can notice sandalwood also without overpowering the scent. In the background Mongolian Musk is getting more and more musky-animalic. As the time goes on the sweetness fades away and you start to notice a second animalic note but not barnyard: Indian & Thai Oud. The composition switches in the end between musky and oudy with a powerful longlasting projection. Not for the faint hearted!
This is the spicey sweet cinnimon/chocolate type of musk that I like. What is so well done here in my opinion is the way the musk is kept clean smelling with an almost citrusy feeling. My favorite type of musk blend. Can be worn in warmer or cooler weather. Stays strong for the whole day.
This is undoubtedly one of my personal favourites. Easily a top 5 composition in my mind, hitting the perfect balance between chocolatey musk, honey, and sandalwood. Black tea notes hold the whole thing together. This is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Lovely. Can’t say enough about it!
There are musks out there, from the niche, even from the respective artisnal houses and then there is mangolian musk, such an animalic, yet so smooth blend that can easily knock your olfactory senses with it’s beautiful, captivating profile based around musk, some animalics and other soothing florals, guides me to another different direction every single time i sniff this stuff, so mangolian, you’re on my next hunt.
UPDATE:
A must, musk pick from the house!
UPDATE:
The kind of stuff that has the ability to play with your head whilst you enjoy every single transition from that deep, dark, mysterious MUSK. Really wish if i could get multiple backups for this one, nonetheless, alhamdulillah…