Patchouli Light, Albert Vieille

Manufactured in Indonesia by one of the most respected French producers – Albert Vieille – who describe it like this:

“Patchouli is a tropical subshrub that thrives in Indonesia’s fertile, shady soils, its native land. The legendary fragrance is contained in the broad, velvety leaves running up its stems. The name is a tribute to the imposing, precious foliage: ‘patchouli’ comes from the Tamil patch, meaning ‘green,’ and ilai, ‘leaf.’ The essential oil is produced in the secretory cells of the stems and leaves, with the three youngest leaves having the highest oil content. It is this part of the plant that is harvested and then dried in the shade. The leaves ferment slightly during drying. This process alters the cellular walls of the essential oil glands, which results in better distillation. The ‘light’ quality is from material distilled in stainless-steel stills and therefore colorless. … This material has a cosmopolitan charisma, combining a powerful woody note with a humic, earthy character.”

This batch is from the 2019 harvest. It has more patchouli character than the Ultra Light or Clearwood and contains over 31% patchoulol and almost 35% total patchouli alcohols, making it excellent value at this price.