Qais

A Cambodi Oudh from another time- the memoirs of a Sage. I am a strong believer in appreciating and recognising the people around us but when we talk about Oudh we often forget those priceless individuals who make it all possible.

I want to share with you the story of why we have called this Oudh ‘Qais’. In Arabic ‘Qais’ means strength. This distillation is a homage in appreciation and recognition of the man who distilled it: Abdullah – One of the last remaining Cambodian distillers trained by the great distillers of Assam and one of the few that distil inside Cambodia herself. Cambodia has bared many pains and Abdullah knows most of them, even so, if you were at the receiving end of his warm, toothy smile all of your worries would be dispelled in that very moment.

These days I don’t bother Abdullah with many requests and our day to day business in Cambodia is maintained by his family. I only request favours from him when I know we have something special that will re-ignite the fire in the eyes of this resolute man.

If it wasn’t for his history with us he would not get off his rocking chair, not even for his grandchildren. At his age everything happens with the point of a walking stick, a subtle nod of the head and the raising of one or both eyebrows.

When we received this batch of wood we knew Abdullah would be excited. Good wood for distillation is hard to come by in Cambodia, especially wild wood. Though this was not sink grade wood it had a certain scent profile that I knew would intrigue Abdullah and kindle his spark to bottle such a bewitching scent.

Mossy Oudh dipped in Vanilla cream, with nuances of berries and oriental resins, floating into whispers of sweet spices with breezes of ever green leaves. Settling into a dry-down of cream candy, baby cinnamon dust and wood white musk.

A person’s temperament is manifest in their artistry. Oudh Qais is the story of this old Sage: his wisdom, experiences, passions and strength.