A Journey into The World of Oud Part Five
Updated January 2026
The Oud Companies that I've explored
Between the Ouds that I've purchased and those given to me as gifts, I've currently experienced the distillations from over 50 different companies:
Note: companies with their names in parentheses, like (Agarwood Pure), are no longer in business.
** Oils with two asterisks had very odd and cloying scents, from other oils or synthetics in them besides agarwood.
The best oils by far are in the left column, The Artisans, and these are the companies that I encourage you to explore. Also, I prefer the oils shows above the line (------) to those below the line. And those closest to the top in each column I consider better.
With the exception of the Liberty Natural and White Lotus, who sold uninfected agarwood oil (correctly indicated by White Lotus Aromatics), all of Ouds were true agarwood oils from infected trees.
The quality and styles varied greatly, but most were first distillations.
-------------------------------------------------- Really Great Artisanal Ouds
Note: For me personally, Oud is not a perfume to be worn, but instead a magical oil to be listened to and to be transported by. Sitting with Oud has been of great value to me in my spiritual journey.
As you can see from the previous table, I have a growing collection of Ouds from many sources. But only a fraction of them are truly great.
It took me a while to open my mind, and my nose, to the great diversity of scents that the different Ouds embodied, but over time my nasal palate has become quite educated, and I can now appreciate many oils that I originally didn't like at all.
I've also become able to discern the degree of artistry manifest in each distillation, and have come to have a deeply growing respect for the true artisans of Oud.
While several companies' oils have taken my breath away with the depth and breadth of their creations, I keep returning to the realization that one company's agarwood oils stand out above the others.
Ensar Oud has produced not only most of my top ten Ouds, but also the most varied and purest set of scents by far.
Every time I buy his Ouds, I know that some will be completely different from all of the Ouds I already have.
So I'm writing this to both give thanks, and what I believe to be the proper acknowledgment, to a true Oud Master.
[I have no professional affiliation with Ensar or his company, nor have been given any incentive to write this.]
postscript: three years later, and still most of the best Ouds that I have came from Ensar Oud.
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End of Part Five
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