Oud Royale. As I approach the sample vial, I am hit with a wonderful aroma that is at first spicy, and then beautifully sweet. As I remove the cap, the spicy note has fully transmutated into a luscious green sweetness, broad and full. I see orange and blue and green. The sweetness shifts as the lower notes of Oud Royale begin to reveal themselves. The aroma of suede lingers in its body and then transforms into an ethereal note that is so familiar. The mind struggles to identify the note, and is simultaneously silenced by its upward allure. Irresistible. Alas, after showing me its full splendour, the words return. Kyara Koutan. I smell Kyara Koutan. I unscrewed the cap of my bottle of Kyara Koutan to confirm–and yes, to my nose, Oud Royale shares a note with Kyara Koutan. It is that vaporous cool heavenly note that seems to contain so much that it defies description. It is that irresistibly dynamic note that is the signature of the finest Oud oil. Moments later, and there is a subtle hint of tobacco mingling amidst the spicy-sweet-green-heavenly notes. As Oud Royale wears, the tobacco and suede notes become more assertive, and at times even dominant. And yet, even in its most full bodied moments, Royale never lets you forget the heavenly sweetness that is its aromatic heart.

Medicinal in the most pleasant way, the heart of Oud Royale is healing. It is a dive into the glories of nature and connectedness to life. With a scintillating sweetness and heavenly heart, Oud Royale has a broad range–and within minutes, has become one of my favorites.  I revisit my wrist and in an eye-closing breath, all the words are gone. Oud Royale soars above the head in an ascent that is as heavenly as Kyara Koutan–and yet it returns to a sweetness at the heart that is entirely its own. Royale is a timeless hymn, joyfully revealing its mysteries over time.

Royale lightens the heaviness of an Indian Oud, and deepens the sweetness of a Borneo. With a little bit of Kyara radiating from its heart, Oud Royale is easily one of the most mystical, engaging, and pleasant Ouds to wear.

Price: $550/3ml
Jungle: Phillipines
Crafted: 2008
Yield: 30 tolas
Status: Available