HOT ! Umami Ceylon 2019 - Artisan Sri-Lankan Sandalwood Oil

Jungle: Sri Lanka / CeylonSpecies: Santalum album, WildDistillation: early 2019, Copper - Hydro DistilledSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.Sri Lanka\'s documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. (whoa!) It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as CeylonIf you\'re a tea drinker - you likely have had a cup of Ceylon without realizing you were drinking tea from Sri Lanka.In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names. According to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni (\"copper-red hands\" or \"copper-red earth\"), because his followers\' hands were reddened by the red soil of the area. In Hindu mythology, such as the Ramayana, the island was referred to as Lankā (\"Island\"). The Tamil term Eelam, was used to designate the whole island in Sangam literature.Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobanā (Ancient Greek: Ταπροβανᾶ) or Taprobanē (Ταπροβανῆ) from the word Tambapanni. The Persians and Arabs referred to it as Sarandīb (the origin of the word \"serendipity\") from Cerentivu or Siṃhaladvīpaḥ. Ceilão, the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese Empire when it arrived in 1505, was transliterated into English as Ceylon. As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon; it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948.SCENTDespite its rich history (which often plays a role in my naming an oil) - I decided to call this oil \"Umami\" - a Japanese term which translates as \"taste\", but has DEEPER meaning in the culinary world.The term Umami has been described as savory, and characteristic of broths and cooked meats. In the culinary world, it refers to a rich mouthfeel, meatiness, and rich flavor. Food with Umami has a rich and distinguished taste.Umami Ceylon is just that - a Sandalwood oil with a deeply complex and rich meatiness to it\'s flavor profile. It is quite a distinguished scent.From the photo (taken in antique French ground glass) - you can see that the oil has a deep, almost burnt orange. The scent is just as deep as the color.As for the scent itself - even I am at a bit lost for words. There is an almost rich meatiness with an underlying booziness that winds and twists for hours before landing on a scent that is more reminiscent of what you would recognize as a Sandalwood oil.Everyone who has smelled it so far without any context has either thought it was an Attar or an Oud.No one thought it was a pure Sandal oil 😂Right out of the gate - it smells almost as if a Sri Lankan Gyrinops Walla Patta was co-distilled with some high grade Sandalwood. The oil being almost Oud-like for most of the ride. Boozy, Meaty, and Oud-like, layered over wafts of Sandalwood. Quite unlike any Sandalwood you\'ve likely smelled before.The oil is artisan Copper distilled, which I\'m sure played a role in it\'s rich coloring, and an almost iron-like hint, as if the woods had been wok fried in cast iron before being tossed into the pot.All told - this is one heck of an oil chalk full of Umami Sandalwoody-goodness!