Arsalan

O Hindi Oudh, how they have mistreated thee?

There was only one oudh, the Hindi Oudh, we adore the Hindi Oudh.

No really, for us they are the piece de resistance of the whole Oudh genre, more Oudhy than all other oudhs combined. Hindi Oudhs are proud, loud, dominant and encompassing with the ability to pierce your whole being regardless of what mood you are in. For this reason it is no surprise that in most of the subcontinent and Middle Eastern traditions this particular type of Oudh is revered so dearly. Hindi oudh is associated with the most dearest of memories, weddings, Eid, Friday and every happy celebrations that you can imagine.

The Hindi Oudh has it all – it is elegant, robust, and versatile – it just depends on the distillers’ skills as to what facets they can bloom from it. In the hands of a true skilled artist it can produce a beautiful, delicate and refined oil like Qandahaar I, or a more fully bodied dense and darker oil such as Qandahaar III and even the tantalising Chocolate, dark tobacco of Hudhayl.

Arsalan in the eastern Turkic languages means the lion, the fearless, The King of the Jungle. Powerful yet majestic. Lethal yet graceful. Arsalan is an Oudh humming with strength and brutality but bringing both madness and calm. Distilled from wild Manipur oudhs trees, in the traditional hindi style, with a short soak and aged for 12 months it is an Oudh full of captivating energy. Arsalan doesn’t have funk, no rotten or fermentation notes, but it has energy, it has power and the scent takes you to the tall grass fields where lions hunt.

Top: Thick dense lemon molasses infused with ripe mango pulp, tamarind crush and the slightest hum of caramel

Middle: Brushes of tobacco, coffee, old leather and rose petals sprinkled with ambergris

Base: Ethereal woodiness with a lemon grass that has been lifted to give an ethereal airy feel, floating up and down in waves making you eager to hit the end but then bouncing back. Arsalan is not boring nor easily predictable – it is an Oil full of olfactory gymnastics. Then finally a sweet tobacco appears with a slightly fruity acidity, simply mesmerising.