Taif Sultan

Sultan White Rose gave you a tasteful tinge of yuzu dyed with a citrusy Hojari note around a soft whiff of neroli, all of which swam deep in an ocean of rare and exceptionally diffusive rose extracts that were in full bloom.

While the structure of this attar mimics Sultan White Rose, only the top notes remain the same. The heart notes were swapped out with four new roses, while four upgraded ouds compose the base – that’s saying something when the perfume already contained stunning ouds.

The first tweak is the addition of a gorgeous Afghan rose that I’ve been smitten with since I got my hands on it. Just uncapping the source bottle is like nothing I’ve ever smelled, including other Afghan roses. Beautifully lush and bright, it’s got a freshness you smell right from when you apply some as it imbues the yuzu-frankincense top notes with the creamy bright scent of fresh rose petals. 

Anyone who has smelled the Japanese rose that was commissioned by and specially made for EO will recognize that…

“it has a very clean, almost white floral feel to it. It’s incomparable to any of the Rose Damascena oils from EO. Not jammy like Bulgarian, not as vegetal as Rose de Mai, not as Spicy as Ruh Ghulab, and and not as citrus forward as Taifi. The small nuances it has though create an ethereal sensation, as if you are floating on a bed of white roses.”

This is the first time I’m using the rosa rugosa together with the bright white Afghan rose, and it really does seem to make the white rose facet smell even brighter! 

Coupled with this duo is a fusion of two Ta’ifi roses: one with that quintessential lemon-citrus profile that defines a quality Ta’ifi extract, and the other a much more boozy, bourbon-like extract that’s super diffusive to boot. Both of these are 80s extracts, so they share that old-rose creaminess that’s sooo addictive. 

But Taif Sultan doesn’t hit you with those notes of yuzu, luban, or cardamom. No, sir…

This attar is all about the rose… and the OUD.

Sultan White Rose contained $1,500/3gr walla patta + wild Papuan oud + Thai oud, each selected to complement and accentuate facets of the accompanying aromatics. 

This semi-B takes SWR to a whole other level by envisioning it through pure Oriscent ouds.

So, instead of walla patta gyrinops, you’ve got the grandaddy Sri Lankan distillation Kyara Ketone to soak up the Ta’ifi petals and imbue their aroma with its signature pollen-white-mimosa elegance. 

Jayapula’s piercing earthy-incense aroma adds layers of petrichor and jungly-green to the yuzy-mandarin top notes, and also acts as a fixative to let them last longer instead of fading into the air 3 minutes after your swipe.

Where I used a lovely Thai oud in SWR for its fruity tenor to play on the citrus chords, here’s where this semi-B takes things a bit more seriously…

The Thai oud is still here, but now in the form of Pattani, which instead of fruitiness possesses an exquisite medicinality. This is by far the highest-grade wild Thai distillation I’m aware of, and no other perfume I know of gives you wild Thai decked out with four of the finest roses on the planet.

But it doesn’t end here. 

The idea of fusing medicinality with white flower earthiness and bright white rosey elegance, makes you wonder if you should give a slight edge to the medicinal facet. A bitter-sweet contrast; the intensity of pure rose otto soaking up the signature facet of kyara.

That’s why Taif Sultan also incorporates the finest Myanmar oud I know of. 

“Sure, it has the Oriscent aesthetic, but what makes this one unique is the orange-yellow hues it has. Think of it as the olfactive colour of Saffron, rather than the notes of Saffron. It does bear some similarities to a few Hainan and Yunan Ouds, but the tropical feel of it does make it distinguishably different.”

Men Tien imbues the sparkling roses with its zesty, bitter kinamic tone, which entangled with Kyara Ketone and Pattani makes Taif Sultan perhaps the richest oud-rose EO composition to date. 

The main ‘tweak’, if you will, is that this is an attar, which obviously performs and unfolds differently from a spray perfume. 

A spray perfume lets the top notes diffuse (and often disappear) through the air hardly before it even hits you. A swipe of 100% concentrate attar is experienced much more directly – all at once. It’s smells more intense, denser – and hence more layered and complex. The oud is right there, the roses are right there – in fact, take your first swipe and you’ll probably wonder… where’s the yuzu and all that!?

This is unofficially EO’s first Oriscent attar. While perfume lovers have been spoilt, this one goes out to the attar old-timers, the “100% or 0%!” puritans, or… anybody who loves the world’s finest aromatics on the same dance floor where the scent makes you close your eyes and bliss out to medicinal-Oriscent-white-flower-tangy-Ta’ifi-yuzu-laced-frangi flow.

Featured Testimonials…

Taif Sultan took me on an olfactory journey unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The moment I swiped it on, I was greeted by a fresh, creamy brightness from the Afghan rose, paired with the clean, almost ethereal feel of the Japanese rosa rugosa. Together with the lemony and boozy richness of the Ta’ifi roses, it felt like walking through a garden of rare, perfectly bloomed flowers. It’s not just a rose scent—it’s a story of roses from different corners of the world, each bringing its own charm.

What really captivated me, though, was the oud. The depth and complexity it brought were unlike any other attar I’ve worn. The Sri Lankan Kyara Ketone added a refined elegance, while the Jayapula’s earthy-incense tones and the medicinal Pattani balanced the floral brightness beautifully. The Myanmar oud, with its saffron-like warmth, tied it all together. Taif Sultan feels like more than a fragrance; it’s a masterpiece that stays close to your skin, unfolding layer by layer. It’s personal, intimate, and truly unforgettable.

—Ehatareen S / USA