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)