I always felt that Oud Sultani 2001 was Oud Royale’s 1982 sister. If you are familiar with those oils, you will easily recognize one in the other, to the point that you could argue Merauke gaharu was thrown into Sultani and Malay aloes into Royale. And likely, you’d be right.
If that is so, I would say this Malay Privée oil is the Malaysian counterpart to Oud Royale 1982 (Merauke). They don't smell similar (as Sultani does); actually, they're quite different. However, they share the aesthetic, depth, quality, and the unmistakable regal flair. Faizal offered us some really great Malay oils over the years. The fable, Purple Malay, the good, Malay Ultime, and now this 1980s SQ oil, Malay Privée. The latter is my favorite of the bunch. And it shares no common ground with the other two. It is a very different aesthetic. Purple Malay was overtly floral, perhaps its signature trait. The Ultime harbored a more typical Malaysian DNA with high-pitched top notes. Privée is deep and ancient. This oil is a bottomless sea of wisdom.
In the iconic film directed by Danny Boyle, Trainspotting, there is a scene where, after a shot of “China White,” the protagonist crumbles into himself and slowly slips through the floor. Well, that’s what his brain perceives anyway. That is precisely what my brain senses when I deeply inhale Malay Privée: a slow dive into a bottomless time-hole, thousands of years ago. So deep that I fling my hands around, bracing for the impact. I rarely experienced such immense depth. Besides this quality, there is a ubiquitous dustiness about the oil, giving it a strong ancient allure: a massive, dusty old log of wood, bathed in the sun’s rays. The warmth causes the incredible scent to ooze from the wood. It also has this "library filled with old books" vibe, due to a noticeable vanilla flavor, coupled with the dustiness and the strong wood profile. In this regard, it reminds me of Kyara de Kalbar. The oil's woody component veers toward a Bornean direction, with those characteristic warm, creamy, and vanilla-tinged facets. Indeed, in the dry-down, the profile differs from your typical Malaysian cuisine, sitting closer to Borneo. The opening recalls Malaysian terroir, with sparkling, tangy, slightly syrupy purple nuances mingling with a strong incense note. But after the opening, both the purple traits and the incense take a back seat. I also detect a metallic facet paired with the incense, subtle but present. Once that introduction clears away, the oil doesn’t change much. It goes into this creamy, resinous wood direction, very dusty, with heaps of soft incense. I don’t mind, because the smell is insanely addictive. As I said, like a deep plunge with no end. I also want to mention its performance. This oil is a monster. One of the strongest oils I know: big projection, great scent trail, and over 36 hours of lifespan on the skin.
Malay Privée is for those who love an oil with depth, with strong emphasis on the woody-resinous facets and an antique feel. This is not a high-pitched, kinamic oil, nor a sheer/light one. This is like embracing the log itself, inhaling all the wisdom the tree gathered inside, its history. On the SQ pedestal, this one sits right up there with the greats.
