i'm surprised. This is probably the best earth note i've smelled. multi-faceted, complex, woody earthy smell. i wish they had an alcohol dilution of this.

Review by blake 3/2/2024

1. Straight from the Bottle - - - - The combination of smells you get when you sniff your baby's diaper, when you suspect a, "Number 2" might be present... In a phrase; "Poopy Diapers" - - - That dark, rich garden-bed Mulch/barkdust material, that after it gets rained on, and then starts heating up in the sun, starts to give off a warm, damp, earthy smell of manure wafting through the air. So again, in a phrase; "Poopy Barkdust" - - - It also smells somewhat like... "The 'sticky side' of Duct Tape", oddly enough... (Sounds strange I know, but I swear it's there...) 2. On Test Strip - - - - Definitely a, "Brown" colored scent... And underneath it all, I think I'm detecting something like... Spikenard (?)... But... not much of the, "Valerian" component in Spikenard, but more of the..."Spicy Armpit" component, that some Spikenard can have, in certain circumstances. - - - I'm also getting somewhat of a, "Pumpkin Patch" set of smells here... like... Damp musty or decaying Hay Bales, mixed with... "Muddy Boots". Yeah. It smells like what you might smell in the air, after you get back in your car after a day at the Pumpkin Patch; Slightly poopy Mud, still damp, but drying on your boots, spicy sweat, and musty/mildewy Hay scent on your clothes, and in your hair. Definitely a , "Farmland" smell, for sure... - - -And lastly, just maybe, waaaayyy underneath it all, I might be getting light scent of some fallen and fermenting orchard fruit of some kind? But, if its there at all, I'm only picking it up very lightly. (With MY nose, anyway...) - - - It also has a distinctly Strawberry like smell. In other Oud's, it's almost exactly like the warm, almost effervescent inner filling of a Strawberry Poptart, straight outta the toaster. But that component of this particular oud isn't strong. It's far more earthy and animalic than some others. (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm just telling you what I smell in THIS one...) This may also be due to the fact that this review is specifically for the 5% Dilution Sample Bottle - whereas the pure UN-diluted A. Crassna, may indeed have those stronger, berry-like notes. - - - When you're on a forest walk, and you come across some wild animal scat of some kind, it has that warm earthy pungent odour that rises up from it when the sun has been heating it for hours. - - - A hint of Myrrh somewhere in there - - - Wet Stone, Damp Hay or Wet Grass 3. On Skin - - - - All the aforementioned things are still there, in various strengths and ratios, just altered. Oils and Blends being put on skin always changes them. Sometimes radically. So - what can I say? Sometimes you smell more of one thing, less of another, sometimes it changes altogether -sometimes for the better - sometimes worse. And other times, it seems to morph into a completely new scent entirely, that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else in the world, come from any known plant or substance, and are often very difficult, if not impossible to describe. And other times still, it can be such a complex and layered thing, protean and volatile, that, as you wear it, straight outta the bottle, until 24 hours later, it went through one change after the next, smelling like something slightly (or radically) different, during each passing hour. I find that Oud Oils can often have this complex, subtle, layered, and long slow "Unfurling" process. Smell it from the bottle, on a test strip, on the skin, diffused in the air - and every time, over the days, weeks, and months, you may smell something slightly different each time. It can be chameleon like, and change size, shape, color, and "Volume", scent, and Feeling. I think it's safe to say this is one of the main reasons why it's such a wonderful, alluring oil, and so highly regarded, praised, loved, hated, and sought after.

Review by Z 10/9/2023

Its profile is animal, dirty, elegant, deep, wood, leather, dried fruit, creaminess of castoreo, sweet, intoxicating...

Review by Juan Manuel 4/28/2021

Barnyard in a bottle is correct! Very strong even at 5%, there are much more offensive ouds out there but I miss the co2 version which was more of a precious woods vibe than a horse riding class like this one. Each oud has its place. Less is more, the sample will last me forever!

Review by bobbyseven 1/22/2020

This is my first foray into the agarwood arena. After reading all the other reviews about it, I was very curious. I ordered a 5% solution to make it easier and it is just lovely. Like a freshly cleaned barn with new hay and a hint of the animals who drop by. There are mysterious undertones, and I didn’t want to take the vial away from my nose. It blends beautifully with everything; it serves to elevate the other scents and make them more sophisticated. I would use this in everything. I will definitely order more!

Review by Alison 10/13/2019