Java Dwipa Imperial 2022 : Insane Artisan Pure Indonesian Sandalwood Oil

Jungle : South Mountain of Yogyakarta Special Region - Central Java Island : Indonesia
Class : Wild Red and Black Meat Heart - and Root Wood
Distillation : Hybrid Vacuum Distillation - Distillation Date : December 22, 2022 - January 4th, 2023


This is a super duper special project that has taken me the better part of 2022 to make happen - and so I'm releasing this for Chinese New Year 2023 - The Year of the Rabbit as a special launch!

This oil is special for several reasons ...

For starters, this is one of my proprietary Hybrid Vacuum Distillations. Nobody out there is doing this like I am. Absolutely nobody.

Secondly - this is made from wood from an incredibly special area that was reserved back in the day for the Javanese Royal Family - as they used Sandalwood from this area specifically to build their Royal homes and palaces. So this is a particular odor profile you've likely never seen or even heard of. It took quite some effort to source and secure what went into the pot here.

And if that wasn't special enough - Thirdly ! - I began distilling this oil using a technique I had developed from somewhat of a mishap of distilling a very special batch of wild Indian Kalakassi a few years back. Here's what we did ...


THE SPECIAL PROCESS :


Vacuum distillation is already a highly specialized extraction method as it captures molecules usually lost under normal distillation setups.

We juiced an insane batch of Live Tree Filaria - from a single tree, no less - from an area on the interior of Papua. Few have likely heard of Asiki, located in the Boven Digoel Regency. Asiki Boven will be the second special launch for Chinese New Year 2023 - so be sure to check that listing out, as well!

So why do I mention this Asiki oil, along with the special technique from a Kalakassi oil from a few years back??

In that project, I had juiced an oil that came out so thick and dense that we lost most of the oil to being stuck in the equipment. It didn't come out into the receiver it was so thick. I was faced with nearly the entire project being a loss. I had a bright idea, though ... I had a batch of Maharashtra Sandalwood I was holding to juice. So the very same day I finished that oil, I ran a batch of Maharashtra Sandalwood through the equipment without washing it in the hopes of capturing what was lost. We had essentially produced an Oud Attar - and it was a hyuge success. It was an insane oil.

With this in mind - I ran the Asiki Boven oil, which I knew was going to be absolutely exceptional - I planned to begin the distillation of the Java Dwipa the very same day we finished the Asiki Boven. AND - and this is a big and - AND - I used the hydrosol from the Asiki Boven run in the Java Dwipa.

This enabled us to capture any lingering molecules from the previous Oud distillation ... like adding Salt or Umami to a dish.

And I gotta say ... what came out of this is simply mind blowing ...



THE SCENT


This is the 3rd Sandalwood distillation I've released in the Vacuum Distillation Series.

Sandalwood grows in a number of locations in Indonesia - primarily among the southern chain of islands known as the as the Tenggara Chain, although it's distribution is a bit more broad than that. But the best Sandalwoods are said to come from the East Nusa Islands in the chain ... but with how I'm producing and what I've set out to do ... I beg to differ.

Java Sandals can be more floral - particularly what is known as the Dwipa Sandalwoods of Yogyakarta, which is still part of the active Sultanate, today. The region is currently under government rule - but belongs to the King. And the Javanese Kings ruling from the seat of Yogyakarta and Surakarta used Sandalwood specifically from South Mountain, near the ocean, to build their royal homes and palaces. This is not just any Sandalwood - this is ROYAL SANDALWOOD - and I was very fortunate to be able to secure a batch of old harvested logs and roots to produce this very unique batch.

I mention this as these unique distillations are such highly unusual Sandalwood oils. Complex to the point of almost being impossible to encapsulate how they smell into language. With that said and keeping in mind just how insanely complex these oils are ... let's give it a go :

Java Dwipa opens with a gourmand and floral opening. Think candied pralines and chewy steamed chestuts - delicacies in both Asian and European cuisine. It's sweet and gourmand, smelling almost good enough to eat - without being cloying or tooth-achingly sweet. It's like those head-turning wafts you catch walking past a French pastry shop!

Java Sandalwoods can have hints of florals, but as I mentioned - Dwipa Sandalwood is said to be powerfully floral. I would say Java Dwipa 2022 doesn't disappoint! Imagine the convergence of Jungle and Ocean Florals converging to produce nothing sort of some kind of unicorn floral magic, and you'll get a hint of what you'll find here.

Added to that - a spiciness undergirding the Unicorn Florals and pastry sweetness that melds everything together into the stuff dreams are made of.

These unique Sandalwood oils I've been producing in this Series have all been Oudy in their complexity. Layers and layers of terpenes and molecules bound in a way that is both obviously Sandalwood - yet something like we've never seen elsewhere. It is something you simply must experience to understand.

As always - these special batches are limited - and I am offering them in special bottles with a glass dipstick and a box, individually numbered from 1 - 20.

I highly recommend grabbing a backup or two of this batch !



BACK STORY ON OUR PROPRIETARY HYBRID VACUUM DISTILLATION



So I've been working on a new project and setting up some new pots and equipment. There's a little bit of backstory ...

Back before all the shenanigans that started in March of 2020, I had been working with an Indonesian partner who was more or less employed by a guy in Qatar. As the pandemic started and things ground to a halt - this employer of his more or less left him to starve. So I started putting him to work buying woods and such. The Indo Coffees and Melipona Honeys in the shop, btw, came out of our efforts of helping both him, as well as his community of friends and colleagues who were all badly impacted by the very severe lockdowns in Indonesia. I've really enjoyed working with this guy, and so over the pandemic, he became my employee and we've been doing a lot of great work together. Team Rising Phoenix continues to grow. 💪🏼

At some point, he introduced me to an local Indonesian distiller friend - a guy who was part-time employed by different Gulf operation, who started doing some custom distillations for me on the side. I liked the work he was doing for me, and so these odd jobs started becoming auditions.

Tanjung Selor 2021, Takengon Aceh 2020, Sorong 2022 - all distillations currently in the shop that we ran together as part of this trial run, with a few more in pocket that'll make it in to the shop at some point. These oils have so far been a big hit with fantastic feedback. If you haven't checked them out yet - I highly recommend taking a closer look.

We 3 have worked well together and they've both done some really great work for me - so I decided to buy some even better vacuum distillation equipment (that in this case I would own, as he was initially working part-time for a Gulf operation and distilling for me on the side - and is now full-time producing for me on my equipment), and bring him on to the team as a full-time employee.

So now we have some exceptional equipment and a dedicated team in Indonesia that are officially part of Rising Phoenix. Expect even better and more interesting things to continue coming !

Materials: Red and Black Meat Sandalwood OIl,Timor Sandalwood Oil,Javanese Sandalwood,Java Dwipa,Yogyakarta Sandalwood Oil