Old City: Nha Trang

Many of you know Abu Naeem for his professional photos through which he showcases his oud and fragrance collection – especially the semi-bepokes we collaborated on…

After smelling Old City, the semi-bespoke he commissioned, Abu Naeem said he “couldn’t think of a better way to pay homage to such a phenomenal piece of aromatic art than to name it after a place whose every stone can speak centuries of history…” and that “we could have named Cherry Musk…”

Below, Abu Naeem gives you the backdrop that lead to the creation of Old City:

“After many emails, text messages, and video messages with Adam, Ensar, and the EO team, along with many conversations with multiple frag heads sharing similar likes and dislikes, not to mention many failed experiments of layering and mixing of oils and perfumes (very expensive experimentation), my most recent semi-bespoke EO project has been made a reality.

My last Semi B (Oud Awad) was my namesake so it has a sentimental value to me, but for this one I wanted to broaden that sentiment to others and even associate it with something transcendent given the amount of time and thought that went into this one. Even the bottle design and attention to detail is impeccable. Just as it was about to be sent out, Adam pulled the plug to make sure the plaque was made to perfection so it could be refinished. Delaying the process even further. I couldn’t think of a better way to pay homage to such a phenomenal piece of aromatic art than to name it after a place whose every stone can speak centuries of history. A place whose every alley and walkway has experienced Man’s full capacity to both love each other and hate. A city whose walls have stood tall as all of humankind has yearned to reside within them. Where extending an olive branch both literally and figuratively has softened many hearts. It is only fair to name the most desirable perfume (in my humble opinion) after the most desired place on earth.

I present to you the Ensar Oud semi-sespoke piece-de-resistance “OLD CITY”.

The base structure of this perfume is the original Siberian musk formulation of Private Blend in all its glory. This original composition is not an oud-centered perfume but for those who have experienced it, it flows of musk, musk, and more musk. It differs from the second rendition of Private Blend that uses the musk trifecta.  In the original formula, there was a much higher frequency pitch that was very punchy in the opening. I needed to find an oil that would resonate with this high pitch but also round it out so that it isn’t all about the opening. Of course adding oud will help the base notes carry throughout the progression of the fragrance but I wanted to be intentional with my choices of oud oils that went into this composition. Green Papua already being part of the composition added a good auxiliary note but to fully change the structure to what I was looking for I decided to have a heavy-handed pouring of the cherry tobacco Vietnamese legend that is Kinam Rouge. To help round out the differences in notes I found a hidden gem on the Oud Bar site. Betonomu has this sweet honeyed yellow kinamic note that sours to an almost red tart which really resonates well with the high-pitched base structure that already exists and gives it that extra bite.v

I was also intentional in making sure it didn’t go far above what other releases and semi-bespokes were in regard to price so that it wouldn’t be completely out of reach. I would love for everyone to get their nose on this. The final product is the first Ensar Oud/Oud Bar semi-bespoke composition that I could have named Cherry Musk or even a perfume that is worthy of the name Kinam Rouge, but I think Old City is just right. The overall composition sits at a whopping 41% concentration with just under 2 gr of oud in the 30ml. I am thankful that Ensar, Adam, and the team have been patient with my many questions and indecisiveness as well as their help in making this happen.”

Compared to the original Old City that was commissioned, this edition also contains Nha Trang on top of the ouds that’s already in here.