Al Misk

Al Misk in Arabic refers to Musk, with a capital M. It is important at this juncture to speak about musk as it is often misunderstood. Not all musk are the same, even if the musk is from the same region. There are certain attributes in the animal and environment that give superiority to the Musk. I can’t openly share these generational secrets, however what I can say is, knowing the markers can be the difference between heavy animal notes to delightful apple/rosey notes. This is where the experience and knowledge separates professionals from amateurs and masters from general practitioners. When you smell Al Misk you will understand exactly what is being said here.

Al Misk was compounded from Siberian Musk. The Siberian Mountains are one of the last base station where musk grains can be ethically obtained. The Siberian Musk deer roams the mountains of North East Asia going as far as the Korean Peninsula; a small animal no larger than 17kgs is a full-grown male, reaching full maturity in just 12 months from birth.

Within the musk deer’s preputial gland is produced what is commonly referred to as musk. The secretions constitute of free fatty acids, phenols (10%), waxes (38%) and steroids. This secretion are used to mark territory and to invite mating partners.

It is important to provide the license holder clear instruction on what one needs in order for them to be able to look for those specific details in the beast. The Siberian natives hunt the beast for it’s meat before winter. It is a license they have for their livelihood. The specifications can take months for them to locate and sometimes a couple of years, which was the case here.

In the old world the ancient Chinese incense makers would say “Musk projects the fragrance of a scent”, Muslim alchemists would compound musk into many compositions from fragrances to medicine. In eastern medicine Musk is a natural aphrodisiac, a relaxer of blood vessels and a fragrant that is able to project 1000 times greater than its volume. Musk is mentioned in numerous places in the Hadith text and Holy Quran. Musk holds a special place in Islamic perfumery tradition.

We prepare musk like no one else does, meticulously filtering out all foreign residues, such as hair, earth, skin and other foreign matter that makes it’s way into the gland as the deer rubs it on different surfaces. After sorting and cleaning, we ground it and age it in Oudh and Sandalwood. This composition has been aged more than 4 years.

After 4 years, we combine the two together and compound them into a paste. Pastes unlike oils last much longer on the skin and the beautiful musky wafts, apple, rose petal and the wonderful sweet leather, tobacco engulf you for hours on end. Whilst our skin breaks down essential oils and absorbs them fairly fast reducing the projection and longevity of fragrances pastes with its high concentration of solids lasts for hours on the skin projecting waft after waft of sensual fragrance waves.

Al Misk is a page from ancient Islamic perfumery; luxury, sensual, smooth, silky and a testament to why musk was the most beloved of fragrances.

Please note Al Misk is an Ultra exclusive batch. Many of the pieces have already sold out as keen enthusiasts jumped on the opportunity when they heard about the news through the vines.