Sultan Gris Ahom World 2023

In the breath of the roaring sea
Smoking waves glide
Past dark-crusty Oud coasts
Amber dust is blown away
Laying down like a veil
Around glowing-resinous amber
Spiced enveloped
Beats your Sultan Gris heart
Sheltered by sandalwood tonalities...

Ahom World is a brand from the United Arab Emirates co-founded by Zakir Laskar. Zakir Laskar, or Zak for short, is also the co-founder of the perfume brand Dixit & Zak. Originally, Zak wanted to use the rare materials of Ahom World in modern perfumery, namely at Dixit & Zak. However, after discussions with financial advisors and auditors from Dixit & Zak, this was discouraged, as the expensive investments could negatively affect the return on capital and profitability, and could also complicate the collaboration between Nitish Dixit and Zakir Laskar. He then refocused on Ahom World, where he continues to create fragrances with rare raw materials, including Sultan Gris.

Sultan Gris is understood as a tribute to the late Sultan Qaboos. Here, aged amber dust has been used, which wraps around the many umbra-colored spices (over 30 different ones were used) like a gentle spiral of smoke.
First and foremost, apart from amber and a musky note, I perceive a hint of cardamom, which lingers in a bowl of fine vintage Mysore sandalwood. The ouds quickly come into play, perfectly integrating into the rest. The Burmese vintage oud and the Indian oud do not appear too animalistic here; rather, they bring a dark woody-spicy, slightly leathery overall impression, so that the fragrance, despite its complexity, does not overwhelm or become unpleasantly barn-like right away.
Onycha slightly dims the woody-smoky timbre and creates a resinous, sheltered atmosphere of warm, roasted shellfish with a balsamic finish. The gently sweet saffron also fits very well into the composition, even opening up an airy-fresh facet.
The seaweed, which would naturally fit well into the slightly maritime theme, is only to be understood here as an ephemeral appearance; it brings only a minimal salty note, which could also have its origin in the amber.

What remains: Glowing amber resins in the echo of spicy oud spheres, salty-smoky air hovering over a sea of archaic amber dust... Escape: Futile!

In summary, Sultan Gris is an improbably beautiful and special creation, where the quality, depth, and sublimity immediately captivate. The dark-spicy brew convinces me especially through its beautiful, complex interplay of the many well-measured spices, the two ouds, and of course the uncompromising use of vintage materials.

For those interested, here is a video of Zak mixing Sultan Gris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhQ6suQxLuA

Thank you for reading!