We ran into some major trouble with this oil. As soon as we launched it, a customer ordered some. A few days later, we heard back from him, saying he'd received Oud Royale instead of the new Malaysian oil. He said he checked both the color and the fragrance of the oil, compared it to Oud Royale over the course of many hours, and he was convinced the two oils were one and the same.

Oud is mysterious. Multifaceted and bewildering, it can stupefy even the most trained noses, which is why it is so easy to adulterate, and why 99% of all Oud that's on the market contains some carrier oil of some kind that's mixed with it to make it cheaper.

I myself could not believe my own nose when we first acquired this oil. The resemblance to the Royale was so stunning, I thought we'd tapped into a new source for acquiring the much-coveted Oud of the Royal family. It took days and weeks of studying the two fragrances in depth for me to fully appreciate their differences. Now I can tell the two apart without a second thought.

The main difference is a sweet heart note in the Malaysian Sultan which is absent from the august aristocracy of the Royale. The Malaysian is just slightly more red in hue; the Royale is darker. The first oil reminds me of chestnuts and winter warmth; the second makes the imagination go blank.

If you are fond of Oud Royale, I would strongly recommend a bottle of Malaysian Sultan. To study and learn to pick out the differences between the two oils will provide an education in Oud which few blogs or articles will be able to teach you.