2018 Ngapali - Coastal Burmese Mountains Pure Oud Oil - Traditional Deg Series

Jungle : Ngapali, Coastal South Western Burma/Myanmar
Class : Wild, High Mountain, Ocean-facing Agallocha
Distillation : Copper, Traditional Wood-fired Deg and Bapkah - solely the first 12 hours of distillation/1st Jal



Now this is a real gem ... one that has been shelved and awaiting the right time to emerge. I have 3 oils I'm releasing as a Traditional Deg Series - and Ngapali is the crown jewel of the 3. But first ...

When it comes to Burmese oils, there are 2 general things folks are used to ... and Ngapali is neither of them.

1. Most Burmese oils we see hail from Myitkyina, in North Eastern Myanmar.
Ngapali is over 1200km way - an entirely different region and scent - and a rarely seen one, at that.

2. The vast majority of Burmese oils we see these days are farmed, overly fermented, and generally are of low (albeit "market standard") quality. Ngapali is neither of these.


2018 Ngapali, on the other hand, was distilled from a single tree that was nearing 200 years old. It was distilled from resinous black broken chips and shavings from all the top incense grade material from this single tree. And ... I have some of that wood here on hand that we juiced this marvel from that I've included in the photos. As we juiced the entire tree, I have some quantity of this oil and will offer some in Tola quantities, as well.

THE SCENT


Ngapali is known for it's beautiful beaches, and is a popular destination for Russian speaking tourists, great seafood, and gorgeous mountain hikes with incredible coastal vistas.

What does that have to do with the scent? Nothing. I just want to set the stage...

The opening reminds me a bit of high altitude hikes out in the Western US. Ethereal, maybe a little oceanic, and wisps of campfire smoke out in the far distance. It's like oceanic, salty air mingling among alpine forests. It's very pleasant ... and is a nice warm up to the bliss that soon follows.

The scent of altitude and open spaces gives way to a really solid Burmese resin note that lasts for hours and hours. You know that base'y resin note that you get in many top quality oils? Well - imagine that in the Heart of an oil that stretches on for quite some time.

The surprising twist here is that the oil, on my first wear, seemed to jump from the Top Notes to the Base, with that long resinous Oudy note. To my surprise ... that's not where the fun ends.

So the first time you wear this, I won't be surprised to hear that it seemed to jump from the opening to the ending, especially if you don't ride out the entire journey before remarking on it's performance. That resin note that often ties up the nicest base'y oils is only a halfway point on this adventure. "All good things come to those that wait", right?

After several hours of very enjoyable Oud resin - the oil starts to transition into a sweet berry and floral medly. It's a surprising transition because these notes usually pop up BEFORE the resinous dry down ... not in the Third Act.

There's a cornucopia of tropical fruit and floral notes that I get from my skin, made all the more interesting because the First and Second Acts are not sweet, nor fruity/floral. The initial transitions aren't Bitter, nor are they Tart ... but they certainly aren't Sweet. Maybe a little austere. But this final Act that lasts for several hours twists and turns through Floral and Tropical Fruits with a sweetness that wasn't there in the initial hours of wear. It's pleasantly surprising, to say the least - and makes the transitions from each stage of dry down to be very unique and keeps you on your toes.

So to sum it up - Ngapali hails from the South Western Coastal region of Burma - a rarely seen area of a highly regarded region. Juiced from the best material from a single, nearly 200 year old tree.

You'll get High Altitude Coastal Mountain Air, ever so Smooth Resin, topped off with sweet, resinous Tropical Fruits and Florals. On top of that, it's an oil produced by a traditional Copper Deg distillation over a wood fire - but doesn't smell barny, burnt, sour, or leathery. We've managed to produce a complex, rather modern-smelling clean Oud oil that folks in the West crave.


2018 Ngapali is a real gem and deserves to be in every collection. It's aged quite nicely, and I feel like now is the time folks to start enjoying it. Encore!


**NOTE :
-2018 Ngapali I offer in Lab Glass V-Vials for the 0.3g and 1g sizes.

-The half Tola (6g) and Tola (12g) sizes come in bottles with glass dipsticks.

Materials: 200 Year Old Single Tree,Ngapali Burmese Oud Oil