KAKU – Sumbawa 2026

I've always had a soft spot for Indonesian profiles, ever since distilling Biak wood in 2025. The yield was low, which stung, but the oil more than made up for it. So when this Sumbawa batch turned up, I had to have it.
The wood soaked for about 16 hours, just enough to loosen the fibers. Another 2 kg went in dry, thrown in before the still was lit. Day one brought some trouble with my digital temp meter, but once I redid the cables I could finally get going. This year we went fully electrical on a bain-marie setup, which has given us some nice benefits, and I enjoy playing around with the temperatures.
24 days of distilling, some curing afterwards, and now it's ready for release.
Sparkly tops, smooth mids, and a deep, aged character underneath. Old smell, new oud.

The scent :
It opens with fresh, green jungle, followed by a hypnotic mint with a touch of aqua and minerals, like cool water running over stone. The mids are very clean: zesty spices, bitter herbs and a touch of cardamom, together with a very green incense that reminds me of the greens in Japanese incense sticks. There are grapefruit facets too, but only the bitter side of it, the pith rather than the juice.
The drydown is where it pulls you under: mind-whirling agarwood resin, the true scent of low-temperature Sumbawa, with a touch of the muskiness of Chinese tea, like the last sip at the bottom of the cup.

A note on age : 
This oil is still very young, and it shows in the best way: bright, lively and open. Like all good oud oils, it will keep changing. With time it will round out and gain body, and the base will grow deeper and heavier. What you smell today is the first chapter, and it only gets better from here.