Vintage Mysore sandalwood oil source?

[shoguns2480]

Hi my fellow oud and sandalwood oil aficionados , I wanted to know if any one knows of someplace or someone who might be in possession of some very vintage old mysore sandalwood oil they would be willing to part with a quarter tola ?

[Mr.P]

Just Mysore region or how about quality Tamil Nadu? How old?

[pomusthafa]

Kauvery handicrafts run by karnataka government very authentic they are selling sandal wood oil by online.their showroom is in bangalore MG road.kauveryhandicrafts.net


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[shoguns2480]

Thanks guys! I was looking for vintage 10/15 years plus of mysore only.....I would not want to pay oud prices for vintage sandalwood from a region I'm not familiar with, perhaps to try out a newer less costly batch, but right now I'm looking for some really old vintage mysore about 3g

[Mr.P]

If you find a source for old Mysore oil that is not priced like oud PLeASE share it here. I have not been able to find any myself for a long time. I have smelled some so-called mysore oils that had odd notes or weak aroma but that's all. I have a stash but it is dwindling and I'd never part with it since it seems to literally be unreplaceable.

You could try your luck on eBay. You might get lucky if you try enough.

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I'm also interested in decent Indonesian oil. White Lotus had some a while back and I foolishly bought only 1/2 oz. Indonesian has a different profile than the Mysore / Tamil Nadu oil but it is still quite nice!

[shoguns2480]

Thanks for the feedback Mr p IL let u know what I find, ive also been sold a few duds , dressed up in nest little authentic looking bottled but smelling more terpy then the gentle beautiful mysore creamy woody notes we all love

[Tarik]

hi Mr.p

Have you try Indian Sandalwood of Simon -Aluwwah.net?

[hasans1412]

You could try Oud Impressions Mysore Sandalwood oil, which states as a little over 10 years and that same description has been there more then a year, so my guess would be around at least 12 years aged now. That's the only Mysore that I could source online, haven't tried it yet, but planning to grab one very soon. But I must warn you, it is quite expensive @ $200 for 3ml I believe.

[shoguns2480]

Thanks again everyone

[Safiy]

http://www.profumo.it/perfume/prodotto.asp?pid=5523 Profumo is a member here and he has the real deal. I own the perfume myself. He has 11 and 23 year old essential oil and it is indeed expensive. $120 and $160 per gr (around 1 ml) but it's authentic. A few other Basenotes members can vouch for that also.

[Recluse]

That's about the price of good oud oil these days, not bad, considering it is more rare than even oud oil.

3ml 10 year old oil $360

3ml 23 year old oil $480

I have tried the 10 year old oil and yes, it's very nice, indeed.

[Mr.P]

Someone asked earlier about aluwwah sandalwood. I got a batch from many years ago. Simon is a great guy and of highest integrity. I found the oil to be a nice authentic sandalwood but not with the classic Mysore / Tamil Nadu profile - smelled more like an Indonesian oil to me. It was a fine sandalwood by any standards though and I wear it from time to time with pleasure.

[Oud_learner]

You could try Oud Impressions Mysore Sandalwood oil, which states as a little over 10 years and that same description has been there more then a year, so my guess would be around at least 12 years aged now. That's the only Mysore that I could source online, haven't tried it yet, but planning to grab one very soon. But I must warn you, it is quite expensive @ $200 for 3ml I believe.

I have that oil as well as Kg stiles 2002 batch sandalwood oil. While I do not have experience with the classical vintage Mysore oil, both are definitely very nice oil exhibiting the well known creamy and woody scents that everyone associated with the Mysore oil of old. Personally I prefer Neeshee's one better for its creamier and deeper notes.

[Recluse]

Is oudimpressions still operational, do they respond to e-mails, still? He is no longer active here on BN, and have not seen any reviews for a long time.

[faheem]

Yes Neeshee will reply if you contact him on email or Facebook but does take his time depending on when he is online. I have his vintage mysore oil which is nice, although I have not used it for a while now so cant give review until I try again.

[peter4ptv]

anyone try this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mysore-Sanda...0AAOxyoA1RJ7AX

[Safiy]

Profumo's cost about $140 USD for around 1ml. His is real for sure. I'm far from an expert but I use that price, that amount and the smell of his perfume('05 I assume) as my gauge for further inquires with this oil. If thats real Mysore in that link it had to be distilled yesterday lol. But seriously it's likely not the real thing.

[noFragsleft]

Kauvery handicrafts run by karnataka government very authentic they are selling sandal wood oil by online.their showroom is in bangalore MG road.kauveryhandicrafts.net


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Do they typically sell aged sandalwood oil?

[Safiy]

http://www.cauveryhandicrafts.net/Pr...d-8392560.aspx
http://202.138.105.9/mysoresandal/pr...ils.php?pid=12

One issue here is they only ship to limited countries. I was told they can't export to US. I assume It's North America as a whole. Also there's rumors of there oils being adulterered even though they along with Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited are the distillers of the famed Mysore Sandal oil. I can't confirm the rumors but thought I'd let you know so you can check more into it for yourself. Oh and it won't be vintage even if it's real.

Edit: It is more likely that the are extensions of each other as both companies are government owned

[Recluse]

Some sellers in India look like they do expoert it and at a real low price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sandalwood-E...jDHyIRBu68Kidw

Anyone try this? or even want's to?

[Oud_learner]

Profumo's cost about $140 USD for around 1ml. His is real for sure. I'm far from an expert but I use that price, that amount and the smell of his perfume('05 I assume) as my gauge for further inquires with this oil. If thats real Mysore in that link it had to be distilled yesterday lol. But seriously it's likely not the real thing.

Hi Safiy, did you buy the '99 or '02 batch from Profumo?

[Safiy]

I have the perfume and I assume it's from the 05 oil distillation. He has some from 1993 and 2005

[Mr.P]

I expect cheap eBay sandalwood to be of poor quality. Just my experience - I have had bad luck. I also think current distillations will be unlikely to hold a candle to older stuff. It is my understanding that much of what is distilled is from immature trees or imported wood these days. From what I have read, the authentic Indian sandalwood oil industry pretty much collapsed a decade ago. Is this not correct?

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http://enfleuragenyc.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-straight-talk-on-sandalwood.html?m=1

[Safiy]

I am almost certain 90% of those Ebay sellers are getting the oil wholesale from the same place.

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If you want the good stuff , the vintage Mysore, you won't find it in any big companies I'd say. Collectors and small perfumers are a good place to look. S/N I hear the Australian and Hawaiian are pretty good. There's a few other varieties also. There is also a few other members here with some pretty old Mysore. Maybe they'll speak up if they're interested in selling a bit.

[Recluse]

The prices I see all over and seem kind of high, but is Old Mysore really that great of a smell?

For old Mysore that seem legitimate so far I see these sources and prices approximately:
oudimpressions 3ml $200
profumo 3ml $360
kg stiles from 2004 2.5ml $59.95 but Tamil Nadu 2.5ml $129.95, wonder if Tamil Nadu is really better, or just higher quality and the Mysore is really lower quality
and much lower than the two other sources above?

What do folks here consider a fair reasonable price for 3ml Mysore Sandalwood Oil that's 10 years old, that's good high quality, and legitimate of course?

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That was supposed to be Karnataka Sandalwood Oil from what I understood, so Mysore and Tamil Nadu smell similar and Indonesian Santalum Album way different?

Someone asked earlier about aluwwah sandalwood. I got a batch from many years ago. Simon is a great guy and of highest integrity. I found the oil to be a nice authentic sandalwood but not with the classic Mysore / Tamil Nadu profile - smelled more like an Indonesian oil to me. It was a fine sandalwood by any standards though and I wear it from time to time with pleasure.

[Oud_learner]

Recluse: the Kg stiles 2002 Mysore is the supposedly vintage Mysore distilled from a single sandal wood tree of at least 60yrs. It cost more than 2004 batch.

[Mr.P]

In my experience Tamil Nadu can be as good or better than Mysore depending on the wood quality and extraction method. The two regions are geographically very close. I heard from the US Beieido importer that the old trees in Tamil Nadu were still standing when Mysore had been stripped bare. So for a while the best oil was coming out of Tamil Nadu because this is where the old trees were. Can't verify the truth of this statement.

As to the smell being worth it... Well there is nothing as wonderful as good sandalwood, at least to me. It trumps oud to my nose. That will be a matter of opinion of course!

[Recluse]

Extraction method? Does steam distilled and hydro-distilled make a big difference, what kind?

I noticed Kg's Tamil Nadu 2002, is hydro-distilled, whereas the 2004 Mysore is steam distilled.

In my experience Tamil Nadu can be as good or better than Mysore depending on the wood quality and extraction method. The two regions are geographically very close. I heard from the US Beieido importer that the old trees in Tamil Nadu were still standing when Mysore had been stripped bare. So for a while the best oil was coming out of Tamil Nadu because this is where the old trees were. Can't verify the truth of this statement.

As to the smell being worth it... Well there is nothing as wonderful as good sandalwood, at least to me. It trumps oud to my nose. That will be a matter of opinion of course!

[Mr.P]

It makes a big difference. I have some notes on this from a researcher into essential oil chemistry - I can find these and post excerpts of them here. Here is what I learned. Hydro distillation occurs at ambient pressure and temperature. This is significant because 1) it reduces the temperature the wood / oil is exposed to and 2) it usually occurs over a long period of time. Steam distillation occurs at elevated temperature and pressure and was developed to make distillation more rapid and efficient I believe. Steam distilled oils end up being less complex because the long period of hydro distillation results in a variety of gradual chemical transformations that are associated with an improved odor profile for sandalwood oil. A GCMS of a properly hydrodostilled oil from good wood will show a greater diversity of aromatic compounds and this translates to a more complex, rich and multilayered scent. Steam distilled oils tend to be more simple and linear in their aroma and lack some of the animalic, musky and milky notes in hydrodostilled oils. I also think the lower temperature of hydrodistillation allows some aroma molecules to be captured that are destroyed by the harsher environment of steam distillation. Steam distillation is kind of an industrial mass-production oriented innovation in the process of sandalwood distillation. This chemist was convinced through analysis of steam and hydro distilled oils that hydro distillation (the old way) produced the true rich classic sandalwoods. His name is Ramakant Harlaka and he was an associate of Christopher from White Lotus Aromatics. If you can get a hydrodostilled oil it will smell different from the steam distilled oils but if you take a little time to get to know it and compare it to the scent of gently heated sandalwood chips I think you will find it a much more "true to life" and interesting and profound oil.

There are also some wonderful carbon dioxide extracts of sandalwood out there that capture the scent of the wood in wonderful and unique ways as well.

I can't get enough sandalwood (well these days I have a hard time getting any decent sandalwood at all).

[Safiy]

Hmmm, i want to smell Tamil Nadu now. Not form them though. Think about this. '04 Mysore for $24 bucks per ml? Doubtful, very doubtful it's real so now I'd have to question all of their oils. The day that real aged Mysore is that cheap is the same day it will have been sold out. There's more than one reason why you won't find any company selling aged Mysore for that cheap. In the most rare of situations you may get lucky and find a person that will sell(give) you one for cheap, ONE. Again, say it to yourself. "1ml of Mysore Sandalwood from 2004, $24"! I wish

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I have a question for terminology's sake. Just for numbers: If an oil is from say a 2000 distillation and the trees aren't distilled until they're 30 years old does that mean you'd have a 46 year old oil or do we call it 16 years old?
I ask because I say I have an Mysore perfume from an 11 year old Mysore oil when I describe it but isn't it really around a 41 year old assuming the 30 year growth?