Mongolian Musk

$450

In 2004, we stopped dealing in musk in any form. From then on, we used and re-used only what we had already acquired up to that point.

Most specialists would tell you there are seven kinds of musk deer. Some add or subtract one, but the differences are academic. Most of these are endangered or already extinct – that’s why we put an end to our musk dealings.

When Russia had started to issue legal licensing for the harvesting musk and had clear quotas to maintain a healthy musk population in Siberia, we re-evaluated the scene and acquired our first pods in over ten years.

Our selection of musk and amber infusions like Musc Royale and Ambra 1976 showcase the beautiful effect these exalting fixatives have on their carriers.

The musk infusions offered until now have been Siberian pods. With its earthy tenacity, Siberian musk tends to be sharper, more urinous, while Mongolian is more bitter earthy, herbaceous even, with a sweetness that compliments the sweetness of the 24-years-aged Kupang sandalwood the pods are steeped in.

Mongolian musk is recognized for being almost hairless compared to its furry Siberian cousin. The scent imparts the vintage Kupang santalum with a sweet, almost chocolatey note coupled with a sandy beach herbal effect reminiscent of ambergris but more animalic. The earthy rather than pungent (in the case of Siberian musk) tone makes it a smooth aroma which makes the sandalwood smell several notches richer than it ever could neat.

Harvesting Mongolian musk is also strictly regulated, but these pods weren’t collected this year or the one before…

If you’ve seen or worked with Mongolian musk, you’d know that the grains inside Mongolian Musk are a different beast. I don’t know exactly how old they are. Some of those who have handled or seen them suggest they may well be centuries old.

Musk had been used as a store of value by Sultans and rulers since the time of the Umayyad dynasty, and likely well before that. And these pods are from this linage, passed on from Sultan to Sultan until they came to the treasury of the late Sultan Qaboos, a man renowned for his generosity and his patronage of fine fragrance.

As we’ve done, and continue to do, with our Organic Oud efforts, we support and encourage the sustainable acquisition of musk. In this case, the musk is at the very least several decades old and no regulations were side-stepped to acquire the pods.

This seems to be the way for the most precious aromatics on Earth these days. It’s certainly true of quality agarwood and musk…… you have to track down the stash of an old-timer in the game, or in this case – the Sultan himself.

Mongolian Musk

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