Ngengpui 1936 "Ateek Series" Vintage Artisan Oud Oil

Ngengpui Mizoram 1936 - Early 20th Century Pure Hindi Oud Oil - 88 Year Old Dehn al Oudh - Ateek Series - 10 Year Commemorative Anniversary

Jungle : Ngengpui, Lawngtlai District, Mizoram - India - from what is today the Ngengpui Wildlife Preserve
Species : Agallocha
Class : Wild - a single, ancient tree - exact age unknown, but "centuries old"
Distillation : Traditional, Wood-fired Copper Deg and Bapkah - Collection of First 3 Days

Although I started Rising Phoenix in 2011 with a launch of alcohol-based fragrances - 2014 is when the company launched in it's current format here on Etsy, just before the Christmas season.

As such, 2024 is a 10-Year Anniversary, of sorts, and I wanted to launch a few extra special oils as we gear up for the holiday season and our unofficial 10 Year Commemoration.

Now for a real doosy ... a pure pre-World War II Oud oil from 1936 Mizoram !!

This is a relic distilled during the early 20th Century 😱 

This oil is a unique historical relic that I acquired directly from the distillation family that produced it in 1936. I was lucky in that they still had some of the distillation details, which I included above.

I have several of my own operations in various locations, and my Indian operation has become finely tuned at connecting with old old family operations, or their descendants, in the case that the operation is no longer functional. It's gotten to a point that they are now seeking US out, which is great news for all of you. Lots of cool relics to find their way into the shop for years to come. 

In a country like India with such a long history of harvesting and oil production, it's amazing some of these historical finds from decades, even centuries past, that I've been able to be adding to the growing collection. It almost feels like an archaeological find !

“Ateek” - for those wondering, our English word for Antique has it’s roots in this word, which is the same word in both Arabic and Hebrew. It means ooooold ... a fitting moniker for this rare gem of an oil.

Regardless of the specific geo-location, it’s not often we get an uncut family heirloom that is 88 years old and counting. From just before the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, no less. A Victorian Oud !!

Just consider for a moment how a good bottle of Scotch is valued. 16-18 years old is already getting rare. 20-25 years old, and maybe a fortunate few will get themselves a bottle. 30 years old? 50? Usually fewer than 100 bottles will be sold world wide. And to find an 80+ year old bottle - you could have a down payment on a house! A nearly 100 year old bottle might buy a neighborhood of them !!

I only mention this to emphasize just how rare it is to find an oil like this made available to the public, at a price that is less than a really old bottle of whiskey - and at a price tag far below what you'd expect on a dram of a bottle that old. These are historical relics, juiced from ancient trees, at a time when all the best wood would have been tossed into the pot to make the richest, most excellent oils that simply are not possible to reproduce today in any kind of scalable capacity.

THE SCENT

This particular oil was distilled from a single ancient tree harvested in 1936 from what is now the Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the important wildlife sanctuaries in Mizoram. This sanctuary covers an area of about 120 odd square kilometers. The Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary covers a dense virgin forest and is home to many wildlife animals, such as tigers, langurs, elephants, common clouded leopard, gaur, barking deer, sambar, rhesus macaque, wild boar, leaf monkey, hoolock gibbon, and many more. Here you will also find a variety of birds including the national bird of India, the peacock pheasant, as well as imperial pigeons, and hornbills.

It is situated at an elevation ranging from 200 meters to about 1200 meters above sea level with virgin sub - tropical evergreen vegetation.

Located at 296 kilometers away from Aizawl in the southern part of Mizoram, the wildlife sanctuary is also close to Indo – Myanmar and Indo – Bangladesh borders, having rich biodiversity. As such, you may even find hints of Bangladeshi and Burmese nuances in the oil. 

Let me start by saying - there's not a whole lot of information to be found out there on Mizoram Agarwoods, as the old stock trees were largely harvested centuries ago to satiate the markets and Sultans of the Middle East. Finding historical relics like this is a genuine treat !

As one would hope, this oil smells ... ATEEK. It reeks of ancient awesomeness. Timeless old trees in primeval forests. Scents from another Time. Whispers of history long past. Yet it's surprisingly vibrant and lively, I presume because this was the first 3 days of distillation that was collected and reserved. Those first few days usually contain the most lively and zesty sesquiterpenes.

Long before Cambodia became famous for Agarwood - or Laos or Malinau or Sri Lanka, for that matter - even before magjestic Manipur - Mizoram reigned as Sultan. The most beloved and sought-after woods in the Gulf market of of the 18th and 19th centuries came from Mizoram. Imagine having the chance to smell an oil from the tail end of the heydey of Mizo production, and from an ancient forest, at that !

The scent on this is just gorgeous, and if you’ve been following my work, you know that these old traditionally-produced oils would have likely been made from the best grades of wood and fermented for some various time. Much like whiskey, the bite found in young productions fades and develops in to something that only Father Time can meld. You can smell the Age and Character in this oil in a manner unheard of in youthful juice, making these old Ateek oils worth more than their weights in gold.

Hidden within the ancient depths of it's orange-golden hue, you may find hints of Varnish, Golden Pipe Tobacco, Horse Saddles and gently Tanned Leather, and whispers of Oud Smoke. There's also an almost milky yogurtiness to it, which to my nose almost smells edible. I mentioned Vanish, and if you know anything about my personal tastes, I absolutely ADORE oils with that Varnish note. Like freshly laquered wood floors ...

I wouldn't call this oil citrusy, but I detect hints of what almost smells like what we'd call Qing Pi in Chinese medicine - Aged Bitter Orange - floating atop the merest hint of smoke.  It also reminds me a bit of a nice steep of Assam Tea, devoid of any sugar or sweetness, on a cold Winter's day. Brisk !

It goes without saying that these old traditional Hindis smell quite different in different weather. On a cool and dry day, it may smell more Tea-like. On a hot and humid day (and I loooove wearing Hindis in the heat and humidity) - it takes on an entirely different character that showcases more Leather and Tobacco. I mention meerly to remind you, to experiment wearing them in different seasons. You'll definitely experience some shifts in personality.

I usually don't gender any of my oils or Ouds, but I'd say this particular oil leans more masculine. It's brauny and shirtless and hairy-chested, and I fricken love it. If you love Testosterone, you'll love 1936 Ngengpui Ateek.

These kinds of ancient scents are hard to be replicated. Time and phenomenal raw materials are the only way to produce this kind of textural scent. If you’ve ever tried 50+ year old Scotch - you’ll have an inkling what I’m talking about. Now imagine an additional 33 years of maturing and you've got an idea of just how delectable this oil is.

1936 Ngengpui Ateek is an oil for the archives - a centerpiece on your trophy shelf. I imagine for those of you that like to commemorate special occasions with special scents, you'll want to swipe Ngengpui Ateek. For those that do, your future will hold garlands of rich Sultanic Mizo Gold, gracing your memories for years to come.