(Cultivated) Parit Karto, Malaysian - Raja راجا

Definitely opens sweet. A warm welcome. This has berries. Think, strawberry, blue berry, black berry. Some dates and molasses even. Oh so rich and sweet. Berry picking in the spring. Making it into sweet and sticky jam. But wait. Wait a little while. You'll see that there's smoke laced through it, like it's been sitting near fire and charcoal for a decade. It's verging on medicinal, camphor and something herbal, like wooden cabinets. Needs a senstitive nose. Just a heads up before you purchase this oud, the dry down might not be for everyone.

Reminds me of an old temple deep in the forest, incense burned into the walls for years, moss creeping up the stone. Damp, dark, a little sacred. This is really layered. More layered than most. It opens like a clean sweet Cambodian, but when it matures it reminds me of some Malaysian ouds. Very interesting.

give me top, heart and case notes for this

just 3 -5 words for each

Parit Karto is proof of cultivated malaysian oud. I had my doubts, but boy was I wrong. This oil opens with a bright, joyful sweetness, closer to sugarcane and ripe fruit than anything too heavy. Green and woody notes sit underneath, layered over a light resinous sweetness. It's really clean. (note, this oud is unfermented) It reminds me of walking through a malay garden in the late morning. Ripe fruit dropping, smell of fresh grass in the air, nothing sharp or feral about it. There's also something of an old-fashioned confectionery shop in the oud. You know, the smell of caramel and toffee being pulled fresh, a little creamy, a little balsamic underneath. This oud also carries a sugary, fruity character, but it's round, with the wood becoming more present as it warms on skin. There's a strength to it — this isn't a shy or thin cultivated oil The dry-down settles into something unexpected: soft notes of tea, like the last sip of a strong cup after it's cooled down. Clean and lingering.