Qi Nam

Kinam is not merely a premium form of agarwood. It represents a heritage of rarity and prestige that stretches back centuries, revered by collectors and connoisseurs as the pinnacle of what the Aquilaria tree can produce. I created Qi Nam to capture the true essence of this material in a form that can finally be experienced beyond a tiny vial — a complete and wearable perfume that honours the legacy while making it accessible. The foundation began with high-grade cultivated kinam, hydro-distilled for clarity and supported by a refined kinam CO₂ extract. I also drew upon Kinam X, a highly regarded inhouse material that I withdrew from sale specifically to reserve for this purpose. But I knew that cultivated material alone, however exceptional, would not tell the complete story. In 2019, Al Hashimi produced rare wild wood extracts from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sabah. Even at room temperature, these extracts carried the unmistakable kinamic presence admired by those who know. Over the past eighteen months, I tinctured them slowly, allowing time to do what no technology can replicate. The resulting material now forms half of this extrait — a component rarely seen in spray-based oud perfumery, and one that bridges the divide between what kinam once was and what it is becoming.

The Experience
Qi Nam opens with a green radiance that announces its pedigree immediately. There is a signature bittersweet almond note that will be instantly recognizable to collectors — that particular inflection that separates true kinam from all lesser woods. It is bright without being sharp, elegant without restraint. As the fragrance evolves on skin, deeper resinous facets emerge from beneath the green. A soft incense-like warmth suffuses the heart, contemplative and unhurried, as though the wood itself is revealing layers it has held in reserve for decades. There is nothing rushed here. Kinam cannot be rushed. In the far dry down, what remains is a calm, grounded woodiness that lingers for hours — a quiet persistence that rewards patience. It is the scent of something precious worn close to the skin, neither demanding attention nor shying from it. Qi Nam stands as a bridge between eras. It honours the heritage of wild kinam while fully embracing the future of the finest cultivated varieties. Elegant, expressive, and rooted firmly in the tradition that inspired it, this composition reveals kinam’s past and future in a single journey on skin.

Olfactory Notes
Top Notes:
• Green radiance
• Bittersweet almond

Heart Notes:
• Resinous kinam
• Soft incense
• Cultivated kinam accord

Base Notes:
• Wild kinam tincture
• Grounded woodiness
• Kinam X accord