Absolutely Magazine: September 2015: Heaven Scent: Oud

Oud, oodh, agar or agarwood is a mysterious, misunderstood, incredibly expensive and controversial ingredient that is highly prized in perfume making. Used for millennia in the Middle East, where it was imported from its native Indonesia, oud is the product of the Aquilaria tree, an inner secretion that the tree produces to protect itself against disease. Unlike other tree resins that seep from the bark, oud is not detectable from the outside and so over the course of history many trees have been fruitlessly felled looking for this rare commodity. Hopefully today oud is mainly sustainably farmed but farming is in itself a very lengthy and costly process, with the tree being introduced to infection and left to grow, hoping it will successfully combat disease by the production of the grey, distinctive smelling substance. The tree must be cut down and opened before any oud can be discovered, and then a sapling is planted in its place and the whole process starts all over again. The most successful tree is the Aquilaria Crossna that is cultivated in Vietnam where the tree is left to grow unattended for seven years, drilled and infected; six bore holes every six months during the rainy season. This process is repeated for three years after which it is left to grow for ten years until it is harvested. Any resulting grey wood is soaked in water and left to distil for six days. One tonne of grey wood makes one litre of rich, dark liquid oud, with the value of around 15,000 euros.

Given its expense it is not surprising than many perfumes purporting to contain oud in fact contain a synthesised molecule. Like many things the smaller the maker the closer the association she or he will have with the ingredients they use; the supply chain will be shorter and with fewer links they are more likely to deal directly with producers providing a clear and certified provenance. People looking for the inclusion of genuine oud are therefore well advised to look to the smaller independent brands.

One brand that has one of the most transparent provenances is Ex Idolo, a small London based perfume house run by the highly talented Matthew Zhuk. With just two fragrances in its collection, Ex Idolo places the importance and emphasis on the authenticity of what is in the bottle. Thirty-three is named after the age of the vintage Burmese oud that was originally distilled in 1980 and aged until its use in 2013. The fragrance opens with delicate accords of black pepper alongside lush, juicy mandarin orange. A pair of rose notes, Chinese rose oil and famous Taif rose, form the heart that sits on a base of aged patchouli and the most subtle, sophisticated oud, used as it should be to underline not overpower.

Matthew’s latest creation, Ryder, released this month, is an intoxicating swirl of rare notes blended with skill and exquisite attention to detail. Sweet, smoky, and luxuriously rich, Ryder makes use of a rare Omani frankincense giving it a real sense of opulence. Inspired by the mahogany-paneled private members clubs of Mayfair and St. James with complex wood notes, wafts of sweat tobacco and elegant, aged amber. I detect the faintest wisp of rarefied oud in Ryder too, whether I am right or wrong, and I suspect I might be right, Ryder is a truly amazing scent.

Lawrence Roullier-White.

Read Absolutely Magazine online here.

Discover more about Ex Idolo here.

Meet Matthew Zhuk in person at the launch of Ryder here.