Layth

The first of our oils that we retrieved from our storages vaults is LAYTH, which in Arabic means strong and brave, it also is another synonym for the big cats, and we felt it is appropriate name for our oil as the oil represents the Chinese Tiger.

Having acquired their art from the Indian masters of Assam and Kannauj the Cambodian distillers brought their skills back to Cambodia to apply to Cambodi Oudh resulting in an explosion of sensations – an enchanting dance between the Cambodi woods’ characteristics of fruitiness and the renowned Hindi distillations’ brute, a mystical blend of fruit, cinnamon and vanilla pods mingling with wood, barn and leathers.

Back in 2014 when we released QAIS – Memoirs of a Sage we were determined to bring you the quintessential blueprint of Cambodian Oudh distillation at its most glorious. The Master distiller ‘Abdullah crafted a delightful work of art; his fingerprint of wisdom, humility and genuine artisanship was so vivid in the oil that many of you purchased more than one bottle and it wasn’t long before the first release of QAIS sold out.

Around the same time we distilled QAIS was also the peak of the Chinese market demanding anything & everything Oudh. We recall that time vividly as it was where we surpassed boundaries daring to utilise unconventional methods to distil sensory pleasures.

As the saying goes “Where there is an idea there is a way to express it”- and we had a visionary epiphany –  distilling Cambodian wood but with Chinese techniques. Though not common knowledge an interesting fact regarding Chinese distillations is that they did not take their techniques from the Indian masters rather they developed their own unique distillation philosophy based around Chinese medicines’ alchemical philosophy.

In simple terms this centuries old philosophy details extracting all the goodness from the plant and evading any of the bad aspects to make it into the final oil. Afterall – the oils the Chinese distilled were used for treating ailments from simple aches and pains to more complicated Psychological conditions.

Aged for 5 years Layth is a fragrance of contrasts. The market is well stocked with Cambodi oils cooked in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, even Malaysia and Indonesia, but wild Cambodian oudh, cooked Chinese style in China is a rare gem, and one that smells this good is even more rare. With facets of the Chinese medicinal clean quality, it also has the sweet-bitterness combining with the very sensual opening, a signature to the Chinese finger print in oils. Then comes a wave of lovely rich fruits dusted in the finest of cinnamon powder and caressed with the whisper of rose that transcends into velvety wood sap, brushed woods, Oudh resin and a basket of woody spices.

Such an exquisite oil with the most sublime scent profile distilled from a  rare wood, this is not a regular occurrence, don’t miss your chance and ensure you add the missing piece to your collection, LAYTH – THE ORIENTAL CAMBODI.