Have you wondered what would this special oud oil, distilled from $21,000 USD worth of chips, smell like?

We love to give you an answer; stay with us until the end, and you will know.

In mid-June 2019, we found an offer on the market for Bruneian agarwood, so our team decided to check it out. 

The retail price for this Oud wood is between $3,500 to $4,000 USD per kg. Please note in Brunei, due to strict restriction and regulation, the wild agarwood price is on the higher end. The second reason is its currency: Brunei Dollar is higher than the Australian Dollar.

See it yourself, resinous brown wood (not white), excellent age of infection. Material: Wild, resinous, incense grade  Agarwood from Brunei Darussalam, Temburong district, which is very limited.

We managed to secure around 6kg of this quality. 

Initially, we planned to sell this Agarwood Chip, but one of the business partners asked us to distil these Oud Wood.

Let's do the math, let's be conservative, be the lower end $3500 USD

$3500 x 6kg = $21,000 USD.

• "Are you going to distil all 6kg of oud?" We asked
• "Why not?" Let's see what we can come up with
• "This is insane. Are you out of mind?"  Some of us responded

We asked our partner the reason for his thought. He said somebody completed a similar project before, and it is our turns. So, let's do it! 

From our experience, this would produce around 80ml of oil (+ or - 10%)

Does it mean that we will convert 6kg of incense-grade wood chips, retail for $21,000 USD, to approximately 80ml of oud oil?

Ohhh, what about other overhead? What about labour cost, electricity, gas and time?

Time is a big one; it will take us around 50 days of non-stop distilling. A whopping 1200 hours invested into this oil. Let's say we hired a junior for $5 per hour (that is way below minimum wage); it will cost us an extra $6000 USD in labour. This number is very conservative because we are quite confident, a fast-food worker earns way more than $5 USD per hour. He/she will make even more on Saturday, Sunday, and night shift. Let's say we use $5 per hour to account for the labour. As you may argue, in South East Asia, $5 per hour is a lot of money. 

Please note we have not accounted for electricity yet, which is another cost.

So to distil 80ml of this oil will take $27,000 USD, 

1 ml will cost $337.5 USD or $506 AUD, which is very reasonable for high-end Oud Oil,  oil which

• takes the incense-grade wood chips to make
• takes skill to distil
• it takes over 50 days to complete

What does it smell like?

There are three main components to make a high-quality oil: Agarwood Chips, The distiller, and the equipment he used

You have seen the material.

Oops, there is some extra information for you in case you are interested. We forget to let you know that 6kg of these Brunei agarwood chips are made up of three species:

• Aquilaria Microcarpa 
• Aquilaria Malaccensis
• Aquilaria Beccariana

So what? You asked. It means you get a unique complexity developed over time.

Also, there is no funny barnyard note. The resin from these wood chips is good enough, so there is no need to soak (a process to improve yielding). It means you get an authentic smell of oud.

The distilling apparatus is custom-made out of copper, which offers a distinctive smell. Some experts said it adds extra favour. 

The distiller: local Malaysian distiller Ibnu Sultan who has over ten years of experience. 

He knows what he is doing, and he uses the "slow cook low heat" technique to achieve excellence. He set the temperature just right so it does not burn the wood but just enough for the water to vaporise.

This setting is to minimise the burning bitterness note. 

Overall, strong vanillic sweet impression and a hint of spiciness. Insanely good

Is this oud for you?

For sure, this oil is not for everyone; this is not any ordinary oil. It is for serious oud collectors. If you want to give your nose a special treat,  then keep reading

For this special pre-order

you will not pay $337.5 USD ($506 AUD) for 1ml

BUT ONLY $345 AUD (you save $161 AUD)

Stage 1: 6kg of chips into the grinder to pulverise the wood chips  (completed)

Stage 3: Soaking (Completed)

There was no soaking. We submerged the pulverised woodchip into the water and started distilling.

Stage 4: Distilling and Curling: "Cooking in process" and it was completed on 14/10/2019

30ml was sold, and this number is counting down. 

Still reading

If you like what you see so far

But you still feel this Oud oil is expensive.

Then allow me to give you a bit more information.

First,  I agree with you. It does look expensive. But I also would like you to know one interesting fact.

This Oud does not "die", and it never will. 

Even better, this Oud is getting better every day.

Let me explain

You can ask an aromatherapist if there is an expiry date or a shell life of a wood essential oil. He or She will probably tell you that there will be none. Some will say it will take a long time.

I personally have some of my cultivated oud oil for more than 6 years, and they smell great, so I am confident to say if you keep this oil in the dark, cool place, it will age beautifully. 

You probably have some oud oil that are decades old. If this is the case, then you will agree with me.

You see, when you buy commercial perfume or non-wood essential oils, you need to use all the products within a year. If you do not, you will be likely wasting them in the drain.

Because most non-wood essential oil will go rancid after one year.

But not with this oil. You are not spending but investing in this oil. Think about it, three years later, you open this cap and try this on, and it is even better than what it is now. Would it be nice?

I bet it would.

Imagine after 10 years; you revisit this Madness again. You will vividly remember the good old days.

So, to get your hand on this oil, add it to the cart and checkout. If you have any questions about this oil, let me know.

Otherwise, Oud lovers, and collectors, I urge you to try this one of a kind wild agarwood oil. I strongly believe it deserves your attention.

You will not get this oil anywhere else but here at Grandawood because there is none left.