Welcome, Renegade!
Yes, Haitian vetiver is one of the easiest to like because it’s not as earthy or smoky as most of the other varieties. Unfortunately, it doesn’t agree with my skin (it goes sour or off after a short while).
I won’t say anything about Vetiveryl Acetate as I haven’t tried this aroma chemical and have no wish to. These vetiver substitutes are far from being as complex as the real thing.
It’s really funny but the first thing that came into my head, when trying to image vetiver essential oil several years ago, was the colour of Ruh Khus. I have no idea why that occurred. Maybe a near long-forgotten memory dwelling in my sub-consciousness? The best one I’ve tried is from Ajmal but this type can sometimes be difficult to obtain. But, yes, copper stills is the cause of the (dis)colouration of the oil.
As for Hermitage, I know nothing about this company. I’m assuming you bought both the Bourbon and Javanese from them? If so, I think you should try another seller just to be absolutely sure that it wasn’t a case of poor quality oils. The best I’ve tried of these two varieties were from Aqua Oleum. I highly recommend this company!
I know you didn’t like the Javanese variety but I have to confess that I didn’t start appreciating its qualities until I had worn almost 5ml of the stuff on and off. Now, I just can’t get enough of it! Even if such an exercise fails to cause a u-turn, I think it would be very important to get used to the smoky variety, if only for educational purposes.
Reading your post, I think you should give Sri Lankan vetiver a try – very little smokiness, slightly green but very smooth.
