A couple months back I wrote about Dirapuk Monastery’s Special Incense, but they also have one that comes in a box (and while mine is white, apparently it comes in red and blue boxes as well). Mt. Kailash Holy Incense (which is probably a touch more special than the special) is another really spectacular monastery wonder. It features more than 30 ingredients which include red and white sandalwood, cinnamon and borneol. Right away this checks a lot of the boxes I like, it has deep evergreen tendencies that make it a wonderful morning scent, it has a really distinct and strong hit of camphor in it, always a favorite of mine, and it really has a surprising amount of complexity to it. A reviewer at the incense-traditions.ca page sensed wormwood in the mix, which seems like a very good call and I’d guess there’s some rhododendron here as that seems to be common when the sticks are ochre colored. The juniper and sandalwoods all seem to be nicely fresh and exude quality which really help to contrast against the wonderful camphor note here. Also all of these other elements seem to tie together through the natural cinnamon (and likely, other spice) content. So you have it all, evergreen, camphor, mint, herbal, wood and spice all rolled into one and everything popping with aroma. Recommended.
Dirapuk Monastery / Mt. Kailash Holy Incense
August 7, 2021 at 7:46 am (Camphor, Borneol, Dirapuk Monastery, Mike, Red Sandalwood, Sandalwood, Spice (Cinnamon Clove Nutmeg etc.), Tibet Autonomous Region)
Dirapuk Monastery Special Incense
June 17, 2021 at 6:15 am (Camphor, Borneol, Dirapuk Monastery, Mike, Red Sandalwood, Sandalwood, Spice (Cinnamon Clove Nutmeg etc.))
I’m always on the lookout for a Tibetan incense that has a salty tanginess similar to Holy Land. After you’ve gone through a bunch of scents that are largely wood based, you tend to realize how rare incenses like that are. However, Dirapuk Monastery Special Incense, if it doesn’t quite reach the rarified heights of Holy Land, can at least be seen roughly in that class of incenses. I’m not entirely sure if that’s part of a musk hit I’m smelling because this isn’t a very sweet incense, but it shares a bit of that same sweltery scent that has made Holy Land such a favorite. The difference here is this one is a little more akin to the more typical woody blends you usually find from monasteries. The listed ingredients are borneol, cinnamon, red and white sandalwood. I get the borneol right away off of this and it’s part of why this is such an attractive incense because it’s in the foreground. The cinnamon seems to be a bit more buried, but this can always be a judicious choice. I enjoy this the more I burn it. Now if you’re reading this and going what is Holy Land, you should immediately stop and go buy a package. If it’s not one of the best incenses for its price in the entire world, I don’t know what is, whether it’s the Grade A or B. But if you’re a big fan of the incense and want to try something that mixes it up a little, like an incense in the same same scent range with enough variation to make it worth it, this is definitely worth picking up. And for a $10 spot, it’s nearly as much as a steal.
Olfactory Rescue Service 
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