JAZEEL
GHALA
2019
kalakassi oud
turkish rose
indian rose absolute
ambergris
frankincense
cedarwood
sandalwood
patchouli
vetiver
indian oud
‘Ghala is a mystical love poem, when your soul unites with another, the indescribable dimensions of a celestial plane of existence where all is possible.’ – Jazeel
Ghala is definitely my favorite Jazeel and it’s up there with Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady and Amouage Epic 56 as my favorite rose fragrances that I’ve tried. It’s a style that will smell familiar to many, but I don’t know if it’s ever been done as rich and opulent.
Ghala has quite a funky opening. A strong, quite pungent oud with a hint of barnyard, mixed with smoke. This only lasts a few minutes. It borders on earthy; patchouli isn’t one of the notes, but I can definitely see overlap with rose-patch fragrances as much as with rose-ouds.
What may come as a surprise is the acidity. It has a retro type of lemon or maybe bergamot. Soapy, citrussy. This is very prominent to my nose; reminding me of the citrus top notes from vintage fragrances that have been aging for some time. I’m surprised to not see any mention of the citrus by the brand and I’m not sure if perhaps the acidity is coming from something else here (this is not unlike other tart citrussy rose fragrances), but it’s one of the key facets, perhaps even the most important one in Ghala in my opinion.
After a while, the rose starts to come through more and more prominently and the scent becomes an easier going wear. The citrus tartness goes more soapy; not quite in the direction of Oud Satin Mood and not as sweet, but liking that scent profile could be a good indication of like the mid-part of the Ghala wear. Ghala is more mature, more earthy, more dewy, but the rose goes more in that direction than you may initially expect. While quite heavy, oily and dense, it actually is a rather bright fragrance.
Once it’s all settled down, it smells quite familiar. Especially in the later drydown and the overall profile reads more like a rose-patchouli. But Ghala has a more significant, slightly daring woody power than most of it’s kind. One of my favorite rose-ouds lately is Xerjoff Astaral, but the Jazeel made that feel underwhelming in comparison. This feels as expensive as it is and it’s one of those fragrances that feels elevated in quality above the vast majority of the other releases to me. It’s simply regal.
