The History of Indian Oud Areej Le Doré 2023

In many ways, this personifies the classic Hindi profile - pissy/animalic, sharp, spicy, oozing bleu cheese, over a basso fondo of leather and matted straw. But perhaps because this is a blend of multiple aged oils from between 1970 and 1993 rather than one single distillation, all sorts of other interesting nuances get layered in. In particular, a malted grain aspect, sort of mealy and savory, which I smell in the first half an hour, then the scent of wet hay, and finally, in the leather drydown, a sort of sweet, winey accent.

Make no mistake about it, though, in the first four hours or so of this experience, it smells absolutely feral, like being in a cage with tigers, the smell of fur, urine, sweat, and dung packed so tightly into the small space that it feels like someone just grabbed your throat. But that drydown, wow. As always, it's like the entire orchestra laying down their instruments one by one until all you can hear is the mournful, low down sound of the double bass, more of a vibration in your lower half than anything else. Rich, rich leather, baked hay, oak, the whole spectrum of brown and withered things that appear in nature. As always with Hindi ouds, I am struck by how miles deep the experience turns out to be. The first few hours are austere, pissy, intimidating (to me anyway) but you are always rewarded - if it's a good specimen, like this one is - by a deeply umami, complex drydown that takes up residence in your skin for the entire day. It's been eight hours and I am still rolling around in it.

By the way, this one is not smoky. Some Hindi ouds are smoky, I know, but this one is not. If anything, there's a bit of syrupiness. Not sweetness, not wetness, just an absence of bone-dryness.

If you like strong medicinal kind of oud that is very extremely strong get this perfume. It’s has a lot of power and scent trail. It’s very medicinal to my nose and a little to strong for my liking. But if oud is your thing than this one is a must try/buy. It is on the high side of the price spectrum if you ask me. But yet again which real and good oud is cheap?

I enter the old timber-framed house on the abandoned farm. The cold air smells of fire. In the middle of the room stands the fireplace, which was used for heating back in the day. The wood of the timber beams and the floorboards is dry and cracked. Nevertheless, it still exudes the sweet, almost fruity scent of overripe berries.

I move from room to room. The floor creaks underfoot and the wind whistles through the openings where windows once were. Here and there, a few cabinets remain, seemingly favored by woodworms.

As I return to the entrance area and step through the front door into the courtyard, I notice the old barn. Upon entering, a faint animalistic breeze greets me. Not repulsive or stinky, no, rather inviting. Mixed with the scent of the wood used for the roof beams and timber frames here as well. Along with the smell of old smoke, which has already seeped into my clothes, a fascinating and calming overall fragrance emerges.

So enchanted and relaxed, I leave the old farm and return to my car.