Ceylon

Sri Lanka is a newcomer to the organic agarwood scene, and during our visit to its plantations last year we found many producers struggling with poor practices such as chemical inoculation. While most of the resulting oils would never be worthy of the Al Hashimi name, a few rare gems have begun to surface.

Unlike the native Walla Patta Gyrinops walla, most plantations are filled with Aquilaria Crassna saplings imported from Thailand. The reason is simple: Crassna trees take only seven to ten years to mature, compared with the twenty years or more required for Walla Patta. In the end, it is a commercial decision rather than one of tradition. The result is fascinating - an oud oil with a Thai soul carried in a Sri Lankan body.

This batch is one such rarity. It opens with a distinctive bittersweet cacao medicinal note, where the cacao sweetness slowly deepens as the oil evolves. In the dry down, a delicate floral facet emerges, giving the oil a graceful and memorable finish.

Available in a 2.5g bottle