Ouddict

Ouddict Co-Founder & Tech Support
You have done a great favor to this forum. thank you.

lol today’s been busy... had to ban two people today for fraud and this other guy... I think the only thing appropriate about him was his username. Sublunacy.
 

Mustafa

True Ouddict
lol today’s been busy... had to ban two people today for fraud and this other guy... I think the only thing appropriate about him was his username. Sublunacy.
Hahaha, I will be honest with you. I didn't even look at his username until you mentioned. That's the kind of attention they deserve.
 

Castingshadows

@scentofsamadhi
I have some vintage Mysore incense from the 70’s and to my knowledge (it was gifted to me) it’s legit. It smells legit as well when burned. What I’m wondering is wether or not it’s okay to take the incense and tincture it if I scrape all the powder off the sticks and soak it in alcohol for a week? Has anyone done this before and are the results desirable?

The sandalwood burns a little too hot on the stick and ends up with a heavy charred wood smell half way through the burn so I’d rather tincture it and see how it holds up in a perfume.
 

Ashfaque

Jonoon al Oud
I have some vintage Mysore incense from the 70’s and to my knowledge (it was gifted to me) it’s legit. It smells legit as well when burned. What I’m wondering is wether or not it’s okay to take the incense and tincture it if I scrape all the powder off the sticks and soak it in alcohol for a week? Has anyone done this before and are the results desirable?

The sandalwood burns a little too hot on the stick and ends up with a heavy charred wood smell half way through the burn so I’d rather tincture it and see how it holds up in a perfume.
I haven't, but heard R.Adam answering someone on IG that tincturing (only) sandalwood will capture a relatively faint aroma. My guess it will be same or even less (if there is other materials in it).

If you know those are legit and you have a lot, then try one or two and see if you like it.

However, in case you haven't considered, the best thing would be to get a temperature adjustable incense heater (or make one, very easy to make one) and then put 2.0-2.5cm length of the incense on low heat. It will easily last for at least 30-40 minutes in a (3x3) meters room.
 

Mr.P

oud<3er
I agree about using the electric heater. You can definitely tincture it but it will be a waste. Sandalwood tinctures are excellent in their own way but you need a large amount of material to get one that's really enjoyable, and even then they only capture some aspects of the scent .
 

DubOudh

Aster Oudh
Sandalwood seems to be an answer to a slight problem I was having regarding Oudhs in general....Skin irritations!
So I have been on something of a Sandalwood buying splurge recently, as I find if I add a small amount of Sandalwood in a vile to a small amount of Oudh...and mix...and allow to settle for a while...I can indeed wear the Oudh on my skin....
I also plan on using the Sandalwood for maceration with my musk as well...
I have some top quality Mysore coming my way this week along with some Tongan and some from Tyson as well....
So a Sandalwood week a head...inshaa'allah....
 

Tilt

Oud Fanatic
After having a selection of sandalwood samples lying around the house for while, I finally decided it was time to buy a bottle of something. My girlfriend really likes to dab a little on her chin before bed and I’ve started doing the same. A great way to drift off 💤

I went with Ramah from Habzoud.

It’s very nice and smooth with a background of wildflowers and some lovely creaminess. A gentle blond wood smell. But the projection and lasting power are certainly not gentle! This is really strong and can be smelt wafting off skin for a whole day, maybe more. Might start using a tiny drop of this in some layering experiments.
 

Mr.P

oud<3er
I have a hard time using small dabs of sandalwood and so I dabble mainly in more budget friendly oils. That said everyone should have at least one premium sandalwood in their collection almost regardless of cost. Congrats to al shareef for sourcing what sounds like a classic.
 

Singularious

Oud Fan
Hey all you fine folks.

What is it exactly that I have on my hands here? Can anyone help with dating this bottle? I'm guessing (always dangerous) this is an older M.L. Ramnarain distillation, but I honestly don't know. Could be DPG and chemicals, but based on what I've sniffed, I don't think so. Seems to be the real deal.

What I do know:

- At least 20 years old (claimed)
- Still smells great (confirmed)

Can y'all help ID this bad boy?

Thanks in advance for any help. I figured if any community might know, it would be this one.
 

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Ashfaque

Jonoon al Oud
Hey all you fine folks.

What is it exactly that I have on my hands here? Can anyone help with dating this bottle? I'm guessing (always dangerous) this is an older M.L. Ramnarain distillation, but I honestly don't know. Could be DPG and chemicals, but based on what I've sniffed, I don't think so. Seems to be the real deal.

What I do know:

- At least 20 years old (claimed)
- Still smells great (confirmed)

Can y'all help ID this bad boy?

Thanks in advance for any help. I figured if any community might know, it would be this one.
I don't know if it is by MLR. But looks like it. If you haven't, send an email to MLR or contact Pranjal Kapoor via IG (kapoor.pranjal). He can give you an authoritative answer. As for the reliability, it depends if the source is reliable and if you trust them.

That red top-cover is interesting. I have seen similar things being used in other older Mysore sandal bottles - including official Karnataka ones.
 

Singularious

Oud Fan
I don't know if it is by MLR. But looks like it. If you haven't, send an email to MLR or contact Pranjal Kapoor via IG (kapoor.pranjal). He can give you an authoritative answer. As for the reliability, it depends if the source is reliable and if you trust them.

That red top-cover is interesting. I have seen similar things being used in other older Mysore sandal bottles - including official Karnataka ones.
Mr Pranjal is always available to answer any query. WhatsApp him, and all will be clear. He instantly answers when it is some matter about the house.
Thanks very much to both of you. I will reach out to Pranjal this morning and wait to hear back.

My source isn't reliable at all. Lol. But not for the reasons we usually cast suspicion on sources. These came second hand from someone who knew what they were, but also didn't want to deal with trying to cross-market them in niche communities like this or Basenotes. Also not eBay apparently. I found them locally on a whim.

The story was that they had been in storage for around 20 years after an unfortunate situation. They were being sold alongside a bunch of other stuff. The seller still has actual (presumed - not sure how I'd confirm) sandalwood pieces, which I may go back for (I procured one of them to play with/chip for the burner). Again, who knows what hands they were in prior to this, but the bottom line is this is someone who was doing a favor for a friend and asking prices that provided zero value to them lying about it. That being said, oral history isn't a particular art (not an honest one, anyway) in the U.S., so the story behind the story, I'm not sure anyone really knows.

Anyway, here are a couple of additional photos after cracking open a bottle last night. Fascinating. The seller opened one up for me to smell prior to purchase as well. Super funny. Used a wine corkscrew and dumped the whole dang bottle for me to smell. The top is sealed by foil and below that, a cork sealed with what appears to be wax of some kind.

Looks as if these corks have seen better days, which tells me these probably haven't been sitting in a climate-controlled environment, but the oil still smells great. Reminds me a bit of current Indonesian oils I've put my nose on, but with a creamier, more floral mid/late drydown. Not as long lasting as some I've encountered, but really nice IMO. Now I gotta figure out what I'll do with it since I got all excited and bought it on impulse.

Thanks again, y'all. And I'll report back once I hear from Pranjal.
 

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Singularious

Oud Fan
Update: Wow, you guys weren't kidding. Pranjal wrote me back from across the world in like 10 minutes.

He confirmed that this is likely a M.L. product. However, he said he has no idea of the year(s) of production associated with this particular label. He also gave me some tips on how to open and filter the cork/residue out before bottling. Very kind and helpful soul. As are both of you for providing his contact info. Really appreciate it.
 

Santal Claus

True Ouddict
Eden Botanicals has recently put sandalwood "by-absolute" on the menu, for those interested. They seem to describe it as an absolute that is extracted from post-distillation material from New Caledonia sandalwood Knowing what it is made from and how, it seems a bit on the higher side as far as cost. They used to have a regular absolute years back that was only $1 a gram. The description now is similar to the previous product with maple and brown sugar smells. To be clear, the old absolute was *not* a substitute for sandalwood oil and it has a different smell that is very sweet, cloying even. If you like Indian sandalwood only or top-shelf New Caledonia/Vanuatu stuff, this is probably not your cup of tea, but you might appreciate a bit of as a reference material. Sandalwood has these notes, but this material zones in on those notes. Still, it's a nice material to play with.
 
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