If you know hindy oils, and I mean really really know them, you'd know by now the different nuances and character of each region.
Hindy oils can be perceived as an easy profile to pick up. Sure.... If you ask anyone they'd say it's animalic, leathery, hay and milk. this pretty much sums up the hindy experience for most.
However; the ones who know hindy wood, know the myriad of differences in-between Indian regions. Agarwood from some regions can be described as "Spicey", some are more floral, some are saffron-like, and some are "creamy" if you will, and so on.
In this oil, we wanted to experiment and have the best of 2 regions. 2 regions known for their wood and oud history within India itself. the raw materials sourced were actual hindy chips (Dugga) that was sourced from an area bordering Assam & Nagaland.
The way we distilled it wasn't all traditional and wasn't all new-gen either.
High grade material - check
No pre-soaking or fermentation - check
Distillation was commenced in big traditional steel pots. Woodfire...the traditional way!
The outcome?
the best of both worlds! literally!
What do I mean by that?
Oud heads that know me, know that I'm more into full-spectrum ouds. I don't personally prefer the fractionated top notes which are all sparkly and overly clean without any core. I can still enjoy and appreciate the beauty. but there's nothing like a full bodied oud oil for me...a full extraction of the wood from top to bottom,...from the initial top note all the way down to the resinous core, and by that, I don't mean it has to be fermented or animalic.
This is a clean oil which wouldn't be recognized as a hindy by most traditionalists. However, it captures more than the cream and hay muskiness. The traditional method in cooking captured the saffron-like spiciness of the Nagaland, along with that boozy cola note that can be hidden in Assamese wood. It's rounded with a sweet resinous incensy-spicy core that is delicious. It's an oil that I once described as " a bridge between a high grade traditional hindy and a new-age artisanal one"
I'm inhaling deep as I'm writing this, and it's giving me this tingly sweet spicy numbness. All carried on a cloud of borneo-like sweetness.
If you like clean hindis and are craving more body and character in the usual new-gen hindis, get some Maharaja! a royal oil & scent indeed!