The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
JEMS 2 Firewood Trat is the second installment in Arthur Clayton Emrick's JEMS series (Jinx Elite Material Showcase), released in 2024 through his upstate New York label Jinx Smells. The fragrance showcases a Thai oud traditionally distilled over firewood in the Trat forest. Only 13 bottles were produced, each containing 6 grams of this rare oud. The release is built around a single material: this firewood-distilled Thai oud, presented with a layering of leather, amber, florals, spices, tobacco, and supporting notes that frame rather than mask the central wood.
What separates this oud from the cleaner, brighter Thai distillations most wearers know is the profile of the material itself. The source material, traditionally distilled over firewood in Trat province, carries a character that has more in common with Assam and Hindi-style Bangladesh distillations than typical modern Thai ouds. Emrick layered leather, amber, carnation, tuberose, bay leaf, tobacco, cubeb, and pimento around that central material. The florals add sweetness against the char. The spices bring their own warmth. The resins and leather hold the fire in place.
The evolution
The first spray is smoke, immediate and unapologetic, the kind that announces itself the moment it hits air. Leather and tobacco arrive within minutes, pushing the smoke into a denser, almost BBQ-like territory that reviewers have called the definition of smoke. The spices soon make themselves known, cubeb and bay leaf contributing their own heat that cuts through the resinous weight. The carnation and tuberose surface, adding a floral sweetness that softens the char without smoothing it out. What follows is a long oud plateau where the firewood smoke settles into something drier, more mineral, with leather and amber holding the base steady. On skin and on fabric the drydown lingers as a smoked wood note that stays quietly present long after the opening has faded.
Cultural impact
JEMS 2 Firewood Trat occupies a specific niche within oud collecting. With only 13 bottles produced, each containing 6 grams of traditionally distilled Thai oud, it sits at the extreme end of limited production releases. Reviewers split between those who call it the definition of smoke and those who find it too fiery, almost bacon-like, a polarization that reflects how demanding the composition is for wearers accustomed to more approachable oud presentations.
The House
Jinx SmellsJinx Smells is an artisan perfume house that operates out of upstate New York. The label focuses on hyper‑niche compositions that foreground oud and animalic notes, and it insists on using only natural raw materials. Founder Arthur Clayton Emrick, a longtime fragrance collector, curates each release with a collector’s eye for rarity and depth. The brand’s releases, such as Cuirassier (2025) and Blue Chyp (2024), have earned a reputation among niche enthusiasts for their unapvious intensity and meticulous balance.
The Creator
Arthur Clayton EmrickArthur favors a modular approach, layering accords in a way that each can be isolated on the skin. He leans heavily on natural absolutes—bergamot, labdanum, and cedarwood—paired with synthetics that amplify texture, such as iso e super and ambroxan.
