An oil of this caliber doesn't even
need a writeup. What it is, is enough to
warrant getting a bottle of this precious nectar.
Blue Malay is a 100% "ant nest" agarwood
distillation.
By now, you've all heard of Kinam/Kyara.
Some may have heard of "soil agarwood".
Fewer have heard of "ant hole" agarwood.
Together, these three are often put at the top of the list
when it comes to the richest and most complex cocktails of
agarwood fragrant compounds.
(Check out the GCMS
lab report on Kyarazen's website. Note: he
refers to it as "worm hole" instead of "ant hole")
What almost no one has heard of is "ant nest"
agarwood.
Ant hole agarwood is richly fragrant and highly prized due
to the unique aroma of the oleoresin that the tree produces
as a defense reaction to the burrowing activity of insects,
i.e. the violent reaction of the tree to the pathogens on
the tiny creatures' bodies.
This is just from the mere burrowing of tunnels.
Now imagine the nests these creatures make
inside the trees. The homes instead of the roads.
Take the amazing aroma of ant hole agarwood, and catapult it
to the next stratosphere... that's ant nest agarwood for ya.
I've been asked why I call this oil "Blue Malay", and here's
the story:
Back in the 80's and 90's, a certain type of Malaysian
agarwood became very popular in the Arabian Gulf. It was
intensely black, to the point that the wood appeared to have
a bluish tint. The scent was very narcotic, even the scent
itself was so saturated in intensity that it smelled 'blue'.
It started being referred to as "العود الأزرق": Blue
Agarwood.
Blue Malay smells just like blue agarwood of yesteryears.
Cranium-cracking intensity, wildly diffusive in projection,
and with a scent profile that dials up all of the most
appealing features of Malaysian agarwood (and eliminated the
less appealing aromas of inferior specimens).
Wintergreen, blueberry jam, cream soda, cola, key lime pie
(with extra condensed milk drizzled on top), cinnamon and
star anise, blue chamomile, and of course a dense gooey
chewy heart and base.
Even before commencing the distillation, I already knew the
aroma would be awesome.
What I did not expect was how ant nest agarwood's
unique fragrant compounds would transpose into an oil;
taking something already beautiful and turning it into a
beast. Yes. Beauty and the Beast.
After spending last few days
with Vietnan Special K and Blue Malay I have to admit
among all oils I had a pleasure and honour to
experience, these two are the ones I couldn't stand
without now.
J.G. (Poland)
Blue Malay: This oil out of the lot really surprised me. I
had a gut feeling about this oil when I ordered, so in a
way I anticipated it. This is definitely a Malay at heart
but the freshness in the top notes blew my mind. As you
know, I don't fall for many Malay oils but you have got me
with this one. Amazing distillation.
M.M. (Australia)
I still smell Blue Malay now (from last night’s session!).
This is a new facet which I haven’t known. It’s sweet tree
flesh. I don’t know how to describe it. Not honey
sweetness, not resin, but the sweetness of wood itself.
Surrounded by blue hues. Puzzling. I didn’t notice it
during the past days!
Customer
From its clear yellow color to its lack of jungle, it is
simply unique among Malaysian Ouds. I detect the scent of
flowers, including a quiet rose, as well as water, light,
and wind, and a very pristine and soft Oudiness.
I look forward to spending a lot of time exploring
this marvelous and high Oud.
H.F. (USA)
I've been following the scent progression for 3h and
then fell asleep. It knocked me out!!! I applied a small
dot on my left hand close to the thumb. I could NOT take
my nose away. Seriously. I'm not saying this just for the
sake of it. I was standing in the kitchen and couldn't
move. So here are the impressions:
Wood, sweet resin with a tingling minty thing. The resins
are like honey. Twirling sensation. Earth comes
through. Dark red earth. Fruit? Jam perhaps. Blueberry
jam. Not overly sweet. Deep amber, golden brown glow.
Turbulent. Fruit jam syrup. Addictive. With a woody,
earthy undertone. Woody, but dry. Like tree bark on damp
earth. Light smokiness. Crushed violets, powdery,
velvety!!!
M.M. (Spain)
The second day was equally overwhelming as the first one,
but yesterday was quite different and now the “blue” part
of Blue Malay clicked! I kid you not, I got this feeling
that I’m in a blizzard. Breathing the oil in felt like you
get out of your house on a snowy, cold day and breath in
the fresh air which has this minty coolness. That’s the
image I got every single time I inhaled the oil yesterday.
I can also say that my perception of strength has changed.
It wasn’t weak to start with, but it’s much stronger now.
I could smell it after 12h on my hand. I don’t know how
many times I inhaled the oil before going to sleep… I even
timed each of the inhale to ensure I do at least 10
seconds. I’m quite meticulous when it comes to such things
(read: I’m probably mad! I try to keep every variable I
can control constant, i.e., the amount applied, the time
when I apply it, the duration of each inhalation, etc.).
During the night I woke up several times from the same
tingly feeling in my head, specifically above the eyebrows
and in the nasal cavity. I couldn’t believe it. I was
sleeping, not inhaling. I must say I’m awe-struck! I use
oud for therapeutic purposes, but this has exceeded all my
expectations and I am looking forward to seeing what this
continuous application will bring! 😀
M.M. (Spain)
Absolutely rocking on my skin.I get this fizzy sweet 7-up
vibe, intertwined with oceanic bitterness.Would really
like to see how this smells when the weather picks up
again, very interesting oil.
B.T. (Bulgaria)
Whereas Malaya is a really nice smell, BM hits you
with an intense icey top note bliss
L.D. (Germany)
Thanks to Almighty having experienced some gems from this
region by EO, AA, ASO, Habz, Al Hashimi etc…
I thought how can another Malay oil be different to what I
already have.
In comes my first experience with oil from Anthole wood.
Though there are notes which we can draw parallels with to
other oils. But this oils as a whole is pretty addictive
(being my second wear)
If I have to sum it up
Sweet, aquatic, seven up, petichor, cinnamon, hint of
fruits, woody incense base.
D.P. (India)