Lovingly hand-crafted in a Spanish
copper still, Ayu is Agar Aura's first
publicly-released take on oud from Kedah State, and it is
sure to send Malaysian oud lovers over the moon.
Before Aquilaria Hirta became the de facto
Malaysian oud, folks who have been around for a while will
remember Malaysian Aquilaria Malaccensis giants as
the oud ambassadors of Malaysia. These huge trees (the
largest of all oud species and varieties) yielded massive
chunks of pitch-black resinated agarwood.
The aroma: the zestiest and most vibrant oud anyone had ever
smelled.
Zesty is right. Ayu smells like kola nut juice, together
with tamarind jam, vanilla, cinnamon, rock rose, lemon,
lime, and orange zest, doused in sugar syrup. That's right
folks, Ayu delivers the elusive 'cola note' that's harder
and harder to find in modern Malaysian ouds, by the
bucketfuls. Think cola, cream soda and Pakola, all on top of
a heavyweight base of α-Agarofuran.
This green ambery cola-like sweet zesty oud for me may be a
'comfort oud', as it brings back fond memories of better
times. But for those who have yet to experience what the
best of yester-year Malaysian ouds had to offer, Ayu will
still be an olfactory joy, and a portal to the past glory of
Malaysian oud.
First time I applied Ayu today
& realized that I did a great mistake ! I should have
bought at least 2 bottles of it ... It's that beautiful !
S.A. (Bangladesh)
OH BOY OH BOY this Ayu is AMAZING!!! I have to say even
though this is my first wearing wow it might be my
favorite out oil i have ever come across...
oh my this is blowing my sense of smell/mind!!! Great job
bro.
J.S. (USA)
Deep, deep. Powerful. Awakening. Mossy rocks by a crystal
pool. A tiny touch of Maroke-ish jungly terroir. Water
inside a cave. Lightning strike clear. Rich tangible
textured aroma, surprisingly for a pure scent like this;
as if there are two notes playing in harmony. Pretty
violet shows up later.
L.K. (USA)
Ensar did tell me that Ayu was one of Taha’s best ever
oils and I cannot disagree. An oil of immaculate purity,
complexity and beauty. The notes that develop here are
breathtaking. I will need more time to fully understand
it.
P.O. (USA)
Forget about distilling oil out of resin, with Ayu I think
Taha distilled the wood fibers, the oil, and the resin
into ethereal vapor
I better not swipe near an open flame
Ayu is Gen3, very nice scent of Malaysian agarwood, but is
ultra ethereal. Strong scent of Agarofurans makes it
challenging. My bottle of Ayu is right at home with her
brawny brother Inderapura Encens
C.C. (USA)
Professor Taha is truly a mad scientist to juice agarwood
into a nearly clear liquid. This oil is in the gamma
wavelength of distillation, fractional is just too boring
for him. :p :p :p
C.C. (USA)
Forget sniffing up-close during the opening.
But it is a pleasure from a foot away.
Ayu in particular is sweet and beautiful. A sort of
heavenly renaissance vibe. An oil that I would dare bring
into a room for Kodo appreciation, "pass the wrist please"
:p
Some people may not get past the Agarofurans, but I have
learned how to listen ;)
C.C. (USA)
Ayu is an oil which upon smelling, you can easily notice
the crystal clearness in the oil (Agar Aura signature).
There is much complexity to be enjoyed in this oil, to the
point that the oil might not smell complex at first due to
all the smallest nuances that are too difficult to dissect
for the average nose. This oil has a sparkling soda note
(I say this in the best absolute way possible), like
Sprite or 7up, without actually smelling like Sprite or
7up (you must experience it yourself to understand). It's
a refreshing, invigorating oil.
M.K. (USA)
For one to pinpoint individual notes of this oil, he/she
needs to have a trained nose. I'd say "out of this world"
since I can't pinpoint the aroma to any specific existence
on earth...but maybe it's due to my olfactory weakness....
If I could I'd get all of Ayu off Taha's hands, except
perhaps a bottle for him as a memento, for old time's
sake. If only I could.
A.S. (Malaysia)
At the begining it smells like cola which brings out some
good memories from the childhood looool, it is as you
described it . After few minutes the oud smell will be
more clear and it is indeed strong and has a high
projection.
T.M. (UAE)
I get a green lemon / lime peel at the top, then aspects
coriander and thyme at the heart and the base becomes more
classic Malay like Kemewahan.
Y.B. (UK)
Your description is perfect, I couldn't add anything to
that except to say that this cola-lime note is a dancing
one. The opening is one of the most gorgeous openings I've
ever smelled, and the dry down has a beautiful expression
of Malay DNA front and centre.
R.S. (UK)
Ayu. Not a gentle oil. It’ll try to kick in the door to
Nirvana.
L.K. (USA)
The dry flower sweetness of the ayu. **** man
There is a point where it is like inderapura but then it
goes in a totally different direction.
P.O. (USA)
This is easily the most crowd-friendly oud I have ever
smelled, which is another means of saying it is drop-dead
beautiful. Diffusive in a way that I would previously
never have thought possible in an oil; sparkling in a way
that would normally imply alcohol aided evaporation off
the skin. It is green in an unmistakably Malay expression
of the colour, with a predominant lime note - but lime
like the lime-flavoured gummy bear as opposed to the
fruit. Nevertheless there are zesty citrus overtones, but
these are by the way, and don't impact on the depth of the
scent, which is relayed through the 'oudiness' that holds
the entire structure of the scent together. What starts
off as this incredible western perfume gathers itself ever
more into its West Malaysian heart and the dry down is
pure sumptuous 'oudiness'. This is not a comfort scent for
me, it is a scintillating declaration of the perfume-like
heights that oud can attain to. The very best thing about
it is the crystal-cut top notes that is the singular
triumph of Agar Aura oils. Imagine kola-green notes that
seem to glint in the light when you smell them. With the
middle and base notes that they sit on top of, the
combination is magical. For all that this oil is not
lightweight at all, it has a deeply grounded heart which
is the background for the all the dancing notes. One of my
all time favourites from Agar Aura which is really saying
something, especially given the price. Would love to hear
more thoughts about this incredible oil.
R.S. (UK)
Ayu reminded me of Berkilau laced with cola bottles
H.B. (UK)