Taman Negara Pre2K - Ateek Series - Taman Negara Kenyir Forest Preserve - West Malaysia - Pure Artisan Malay Oud Oil - Dehn al Oud

Taman Negara Pre2K - Ateek Series - Taman Negara Kenyir Forest Preserve - West Malaysia - Pure Artisan Malay Oud Oil - Dehn al Oud

Jungle : Taman Negara National Park - West Malaysia 

(Sandwiched in between Kelantan / Terengganu / Pahang)

Species : Malaccensis, Hirta, and Beccariana - Wild

Distillation : Pre 2000 (possibly as early as 1983 ... more on that in a bit)

Class : Ateek Series Copper (extremely rare for Malaysia, especially at the time) 

Profile : Durian, Chocolate Grenache, and Toffee

**Uniquely fruity Durian - Chocolate'y Grenache - Toffee - Tobacco - Clean Horses, Thick Sweet Syrup

It’s been a long time since I’ve smelled a profile quite like this. I’ve maybe come across it only once or twice in my lifetime - and they’ve been old Malaysian oils with little known about them other than a general distillation time period. 

In this case - I know exactly where it’s from. Distilled from old wood from the Taman Negara Forest Preserve, sandwiched in between Kelantan to the West, Terengganu to the East, and Pahang to the South. 

As for when it was distilled … I got this a few years back directly from the distiller, who retired back in 1999/2000, and is currently in his 80’s. 

He hung on to this batch, which he had distilled  back in 1983/4/5’ish. Didn’t have an exact year - but he knew the rough period. Something he had held onto for a long time. 

At one point there was a kg or two of this. This was the last that he had hung onto for a rainy day. He’s lived much longer than he had expected - and needed money for his twilight years. This is the last of his “retirement fund”, and I was lucky to have this come in to my possession a few years back. 2026 seems like a good time to bring this out and begin offering it. Something sweet to follow the rough year that was 2025. 

Doesn’t get more rare or special than #therisingphoenixperfumery !

THE SCENT

OK - bear with me, this is a wild one ...

I've put this under a few people's noses, and I've gotten some wildy different opinions back. 

For starters - it is a very unusual smelling oil. I've only smelled something like this once or twice before - and this is a FAR SUPERIOR version of what I had previously smelled. It's an unforgettably unique scent, and I think you'll understand what I mean once you smell it.

To my nose, it smells like a combination of Chocolate Grenache and Durian. If you've never smelled or tasted Durian before ... Durian is famously polarizing: its smell is often described as intensely foul (like rotting onions, sewage, or gym socks), but its taste is rich, creamy, and sweet, with complex notes of custard, caramel, banana, and nuts that many find delicious once past the aroma. Bear with me ...

The caveat here - and don't run for the hills just yet - is that this oil smells more like Durian tastes than it smells - and the scent is more akin to the sweet sweat of Horses than it is to onions or gym socks. I had some young teen ladies in the clinic recently smell this oil, and they picked up the Chocolate note, and said the other fruity note reminded them more of riding horses - so I think I'm on the right trek here in terms of the profile.

To many Westerners, Durian resembles a mix of :
•    Rotten onions or garlic
•    Sewage, garbage, or dead animals
•    Turpentine, gasoline, or gym socks
•    Overripe cheese or vomit
But people who grow up with durian often describe it as sweet, musky, and complex, with notes of tropical fruit, honey, and roasted nuts.

-->It's the sweet, musky, and complex, with notes of tropical fruit, honey, and roasted nuts that I'd say this oil reminds me of. 

If you've never tried Durian before - I probably just scared you. But it's really worth trying if you ever get a chance. To the people that love it, it's a really delicious custard, fruit and honey and nuts flavor that is eaten as a raw fruit, is made into ice cream and hard candies and all kinds of things in the Far East. It's a delicacy and a bit of an aquired taste ... but then again - so is Oud. haha Just trust me on this one. It's delightfully unique.

In addition to that custard'y Durian flavor is the Chocolate Grenache. There's a rich, thick, syrupy Chocolate note on the front end of this oil that I find really mouthwatering. And that flavor of the Custard plus the richness of the Grenache that makes this profile so distinctive. That's really what I get from this oil - Durian Custard + Chocolate Grenache.

The oil is also Tobacco'y and Toffee'd - so if you like those Gourmand notes and Tobacco profiles (a very frequently requested kinda profile) - I think you'll be quite pleased with Taman Negara.

15 years officially in business and I've only come across this note once or twice, and this is the finest example I've ever seen of it. This is a COLLECTOR'S SPECIMEN. A rare jewel to add to any thirsty Oud collector's vault. One that you don't want to miss.