Firewater

Firewater is not masculine or feminine. Firewater is a Force of Nature. THIS is a niche perfume. I love Firewater for that alone. Not for the faint of heart. Absolutely a fun tester just for the ride alone--even if you end up hating it! OPENING: Opening is STRONG smoke! Smoke here for me is like a raging bonfire that's been doused with a bucket of water. The kind of smoke that chases. Smoke that forces a game of musical chairs around its dying embers. Something sharp and green cuts through on the wind. Benzoin? Yes. But there's something mossy and fuzzy. It is Peat. Peat that smells like home (if you're Irish, that is). Peat is one of my favorite scents! I'm so happy that the notes are true here for peat. MIDDLE: I realize now that we're truly in the country. Where the terms 'bogger' and 'culchie' are not an insult. The nearest pub is gotten to bareback on a speckled pinto horse. After half an hour, the smoke here lingers. But we've gone inside, the party has wound down, and we've closed a heavy wooden door behind us. We're now in the living room of a cozy thatched cottage, drying our bones, and changing into oversized woolen mohair sweaters. DRY-DOWN: What emerges next is unexpected and beautiful. Sweetness peaks through. Is it the osmanthus? Maybe a sparkle of citrus--is this the grapefruit? It's a unisex sweetness that has a stable maturity to it. It is the sweetness found at the bottom of an aged, burned out oak barrel. Am I falling in love? WHERE/WHEN TO WEAR: I will be honest: At first sniff from the decant, my initial thought was, "Excellent experimental but unwearable." I was wrong. After experiencing the dry-down, I've completely changed my mind. Firewater is a complex, daring, and after the opening, wearable olfactory trip. Just make sure you wear this on your day off and not in a tight office space. While Firewater skews more night time, I could easily wear Firewater on a brisk autumn morning. Coffee-shop outdoors. County or State Fair. Vintage market. All great places to wear Firewater. FULL BOTTLE WORTHY?: Shockingly, this is full bottle worthy for me. My family is Irish (now living stateside) and it transports me to memories and places that are inaccessible to me in our epidemic era. NOT a safe blind buy!! Absolutely NOT a crowd pleaser! I can think of a few friends whose allergies would be triggered by this perfume. BUT if you're like me, and love that day-after campfire-in-my-hair smell, you'll find Firewater gorgeous. Challenge yourself and try it out!

When I smell the opening of this fragrance, I experience a deep, ancestral, primordial sense of alarm — the scent feels dangerous somehow. I can’t explain it, but the feeling is undeniable. With one whiff of Firewater I am turned into a Neanderthal or even an earlier evolutionary creature, lashing my tail back and forth in the mud as I take my first steps on land, and I am sensing danger. The scent is hard to describe. It smells poisonous, murky, acidic, and singed. It smells like a threatening creature emerging from a bog with eyes glowing red and malice in its heart. The environment surrounding the entity is moist yet set ablaze with toxic flames. Whiffs of grapefruit, peat, and bitter tea are detectable through the fire and smoke. After some time, Firewater's initial explosion settles into smoldering embers. A wearable forest fire. It has some serious longevity on my skin. I hated Firewater the first time I smelled it, but over time I have grown to respect and appreciate this perfume. An olfactory adventure, that’s for sure. Fascinating. Bravo, Jorum!

My first signature scent was Le Labo's Patchouli 24. I love a smoky, incensed, almost burn-your-nose hairs-off scent, and they work well with my body chemistry. On first spray, this is very strong, smoky, almost like taking a shot of nice mezcal. That quickly dissipates into a base of burnt birch (probably why this was my stand-in for Patchouli), peat, and a bit of saltiness of seaweed. My nose might not be developed enough to detect the osmanthus or larch, but the grapefruit comes through strong after about an hour and it's quite lovely. Think charred grapefruit peel, freshly sliced ginger, and a clean green juniper. I only need about 4 spritzes and I'm good for the day. I tried layering this with Another 13, did NOT work out, but I'm excited to keep playing with this fragrance and see what it plays well with. My girlfriend describes my taste for fragrance as very niche concepts that smell terrible on the test strip but smell good on me. If it works, it works, and I love Firewater. I've introduced a couple of my friends to Jorum Studio because of it!

BBQ smell disappears quickly, leaves a rich smoky, leather and subtle sweetness from the ginger/osmanthus. A little too leathery for me in the middle, but dries down to palatable. I'm a rank amateur but can still recognize that these are high quality ingredients and they're expertly blended (Jorum has been so impressive in this regard) This would be perfect for working outdoors on a cold winter day. It's sumptuous to me. I also really enjoy smoke and wouldn't mind wearing around the farm in summer heat. Edit: yeah the projection really cranks up in the heat outdoors. Can't speak for others, but I'm loving it

This is simply the scent of a Scottish coastal town. Seawater and peat fires. Very reminiscent of my time on Islay with the sea-spray drifting past the whisky distilleries around Port Ellen. Beautiful, ancient, evocative, primal, nostalgic. A true love for me. Smoky? Yes, but smells nothing like barbecue unless you happen to barbecue your meat over peat fires. Certainly nothing like a sweet hickory barbecue sauce or charcoal that Americans would associate with a "barbecue" description.

I don't know what everyone else's problem is. I blew through this sample faster than anything else, and I'm pining for a full bottle. Perfect woody, herbal, smoky citrus, earthy and oceanic. Completely unique. A masterpiece. But sure, it's not for the conventional or faint of heart.

Christ, this is a wearable barbecue sauce poured onto freshly grilled steak that your tall, strong, lumberjack boyfriend prepared for dinner on your camping date. Just saying, if a man wears this around me, I might fall in love.

very barbeque on my (female) skin. Delectable on my boyfriend. Smoky, charred, boozy, piney with a sweet musky untertone. The lumberjack of your dreams.

Extinguished campfire; late night beach side.

i got a sample of this not too long ago. first impression was that it wasn't something that fit my personality or something that i would wear. but it's quite lovely. like hopping inside a clean leather car after you had a lakeside bonfire that ensued for hours on end. it's perfectly named. i can see this leaning more typically masculine. smokey, salty, clean, woody, and fresh. definetely more of a nighttime scent. ppl have critiqued it for reminding them of bbq. like idk sure but i love bbq and bbq smoke and i went to a brisket competition a long time ago that i still think of and ykw maybe they're right but i rlly fw bbq. and honestly it's not even that weird imo but i understand not liking this one. it isn't for everyone and is NOT a safe blind buy. if i wore this i'd be like nah i can't be smelling like this. if a beautiful funny man wore this around me (and didn't overspray), i might turn my head a bit idk. (edit: would wear & have idgaf)

I've heard a lot of people write this off as some sort of post-BBQing stench you can't rid yourself of. I wish it radiated a bit more like a campfire but it makes sense to keep this one more intimate as it does deliver a smoky punch. Opening with notes of leather and a clear vetiver presence, I can't help but think this to be too cloying for day-to-day interactions, instead excelling in club by delivering a mysterious sexual energy that won't go unnoticed from passerby. Academically I can appreciate the planned journey of an abandoned campfire being extinguished by the elements. The subversive ginger and dry-salty ocean notes become apparent through the drydown, mimicking the kelp-y waves dampening the bonfire to embers. Does seem to degrade rather quickly compared to the other scents in the Scottish Odyssey line.

christ.. what a smoke bomb. hit me like a smack in the face. i do not get any bbq sauce or charred meat like many others have noted. it just smells like pure bonfire smoke. that thick black smoke that stings your eyes, burns your nostrils and lingers on your clothes and hair for days. there's an astringent grapefruit note somewhere in the background, along with resinous tree sap. the aromatic notes are there, but are barely managing to break through the dense smog of burning wood. i like it, but only as a conceptual fragrance. i wouldn't class it as being very wearable or appealing. it's overbearingly heavy. but perhaps 1 spray of this layered with a few sprays of an uplifting, green chypre might be really nice? idk

If you, like me, love a smoky peated whisky and have been hunting for a fragrance that truly captures that essence, this may be it. I can absolutely see how this would read as barbecue--it is a little sweet and quite smoky, but I can definitely pick up on the peaty earthiness, the saltiness of the sea, the oak of a whisky barrel, some spice for warmth and it brings me back to visiting distilleries on Islay. With that frame of reference, it's an addictive smell that has no current competition. However the name "Firewater" is unfortunate because (in the USA) it is an offensive term connected to racist stereotypes of Native Americans.

Conceptually exciting. Opens with an eye-watering smoke blast that dissipates to make room for salt air, seaweed, and burned wood. The post-smoke drydown phase is surprisingly delicate and very marine, like a beach edged by windswept, wild greenery. Realistically clammy aftermath of a beach bonfire OR Azor Ahai, the prince who was promised, born amidst salt and smoke... you decide... but not at the office. It changes so much in 4-5 hours that you should wait out the whole ride at least once before passing judgment or wearing it out somewhere.

Okay, I love but the BBQ rumors are true! The top notes can be overwhelming before it wears down! I’ve been asked if I just smoked a cigarette, or I had grilled meat for lunch. I love to do 2-3 sprays of this head to toe, and then layer with something like Sunday Cologne from Byredo, or any Bergamot scent you like to brighten it up a bit!

was watching a storm crawl in while getting wafts of charcoal in the wind and i knew i had to put this perfume on immediately. perfect for a hot electric day in august.

Smells like riau peatland fire, totally worthed if you are indonesians or singaporeans who affected by the peatland fire few years ago 🥲

Reviewing a sample from 2025. Firewater was launched in 2022. This is a smoky aquatic that works better conceptually than on wear. Firewater opens with fresh citrus/grapefruit followed quickly by a waft of peaty smoke. As the citrus and smoke slowly fade there is an herbal vaguely floral accord. What follows is salty and murky likely the seaweed accord which is atmospheric but not easy to wear. Quality-very good 3.5/5 (I think there is maybe too much of the seaweed accord) Unisex Performance-very good 4/5 Firewater is succesfully evocative of being consumed by smoke from a seawater doused burning peat bog on a windy Scottish coast. This is a difficult genre to pull off and it was a brave endeavor from Jorum . It reminds me of a similar but smoke free fragrance Oud'ish by Jakoperfume. Testing a sample is highly recommended as this is not an easy wear. 7/10

Sitting on the porch on a late summers evening with your buddies during a backyard grill out while on vacation. The smell of the waves mixing with the smell of the smoking wood from the fire pit and grill. There are drinks, laughs, and stories told as you all eat after the long day. Life is good. This opens with a wonderful zingy ginger and grapefruit with a really niche Smokey birch. As it dries it unfortunately the smoke and zingy opening comes together to form a slight luxury barbecue scent that mixes with some nice slightly aquatic nuances. I really tried to like this one for awhile as I’m typically a huge fan of smoky scents, but I don’t think this one is my speed. Jorum has very few misses, but this is one of them for me. 4.8/10

I like a lot of divisive scents but this had me almost bolting for the shower. When I first dabbed this on it smelled exactly like rancid, charred meat, smothered in BBQ sauce. So acrid! Just awful. Fortunately, before I could wash it off, it turned into pure smokiness. For having so many notes it smells disappointingly simple on the dry down. If you like really smokey scents you might enjoy this but the initial blast of smoldering BBQ makes it a big no for me. Worth trying just to experience the uniqueness.

barbecue smoke or a particularly meaty lapsang souchong, shot through with a shy fruity-floral greenness. the scent is neither a polite nor pleasant one, but i sort of enjoy it. more or less what your hair smells like after sitting around a campfire all afternoon.

I agree with the precious comments. It smells like BBQ sauce + smoke. This is still wearable IMHO.

Like a mouth full of paan, betel nut and all.

Burnt wood, lots of smoke, calone, seaweed. A “what is happening here?” kind of scent. Especially the opening, the smoke was too much for me. And on top of that, there’s a sweet aquatic note dancing around in a way that feels almost unrelated. As an olfactory journey, it’s effective. First you catch fire, then you get extinguished with water that somehow feels both sweet and salty. It fits the name, but the pairing of smoky burnt wood with that calone aquatic effect doesn’t suit me. I’d place this firmly in the experimental category. Tag(s): burnt wood, smoke, calone, seaweed

I really don't like giving negative perfume reviews, especially to niche/indie perfume houses, but I dislike this fragrance more. I spritzed once on my wrist and thought is smelled like a very smoky, unsweet cocktail, and was too much for me but I'd like it on my husband. I gave it to him to wear and he, like, emptied the entire tester bottle on himself. I had to ask him to wash most of it off. It's not that it's sickening or anything, it's just too powerful and maybe not something you want close to you. As a scented candle on the other side of the room, it might be nice.

Was looking for a smokey scent for fall, and the fact that this wasn't pine or leather intrigued me, so I grabbed a sample from Luckyscent. This smells like citrus marinade for barbecue chicken. Like pollo asado de naranja at a backyard cookout. Photorealistic charred citrus meat marinade. I can't put it any other way. I get virtually none of the notes other than orange and whatever that liquid smoke smell is. I thought cade oil was responsible for that bbq sauce smell but I don't see it in the notes, so I have no idea. Really a no from me.

You're a cave painter making ink by the fire, howling at the moon, your face smattered with ashes and dripping with sweat from the work. You light an oiled torch before leaving to enter a nearby chasm. and with your charred writing stick in hand, you wonder what you'll find in the darkness, and if your remains will ever be found. Firewater by Jorum Studio.

Barbeque sauce. I think it's fun, but it smells like peat and spice in a way that is identical to barbeque sauce. I am never wearing this out, but I love having the sample in my collection.

Nettle, Ginger and woods, slightly smokey, slight citrus and juniper lingers in the background. It is okay but there are better options for the times you could wear this.

really weird. and powerful. Sweet barbecuey smokey fruity boozey. Still on the search for the perfect dry and dark smoke!

Nope. Didnt like this one at all. Smells like straight fire and smoke. Nothing pleasent about it. 0/10

Way too smoky to be wearable for me.

It smells so bad. I don’t like leaving bad reviews either, but it’s terrible. It smells like burnt hot dog water that someone tried to cover up with cleaning supplies. The concept sounds lovely, but I don’t detect any of the notes it claims to have. I’d be worried about someone if they enjoyed this scent.

The note breakdown looked promising but it sadly didn’t deliver. For me I mainly get bbq kettle chips and weird synthetic seaweed note. It’s definitely a weird one. Something about it doesn’t feel complete. I feel like it’s one of those scents that tries to hard too be weird/unique

This truly smells like barbecue sauce. It's too smoky and salty for me to appreciate. I wish the smoke didn't overpower everything and that the other notes were stronger.

IMMEDIATELY NO! This is horrid. It smell like campfire and bbq sauce.

To my nose it’s hickory smoked beef jerky and stinky oud. Oof 😅

I'm not the right person to review this, because I don't particularly enjoy smoke notes. As already pointed out by previous reviewers, this does smell like barbecue sauce, and at first I was really repelled, thinking, who would ever want to smell like this? That is very narrow-minded though. Months later, I revisited this and noticed... there is something about that smoky-salty that also evokes aquatic imagery. It's the salt of course. And now I get a completely different impression. A salty-summery smoky scent – however strange that might sound, it has something very interesting to it. Goes without saying, this is truly niche, and requires a lover of olfactory creativity, but I'm definitely intrigued.

Call me crazy, but initially this scent reminded me of T. Rex by Zoologist, all smolder and ancient smoke. I braced myself for the full prehistoric apocalypse... but then, it mellowed into something more “summer barbecue at your uncle’s house.” Less meteor-crater drama, more ribs slathered in BBQ on the grill. It’s not a bad scent, conceptually, just not the best match for me. That said, if T. Rex was too fire and brimstone for you, Firewater might be your less smoky and sweeter alternative.

trying the tester set atm and loving the other perfumes, so can't understand how this one is so awful! coming from someone who loves smoky scents that lean bbq-y. others have mentioned a rancid seaweed scent, on my skin it smells exactly like wet dog, and that with the smoke combo creates this awful sour smell. that said I do see how it could smell ok if you have the right skin chemistry. immediate scrub off scenario for me

I love the smell of burning peat, so this was a MustTry for me. It for sure is smoke, lots and lots of it. It smells on my skin like birch tar smoke, with that plastic start and liquid smoke flavor dry down, but Firewater calmed in the middle. Still, I primarily only get birch tar and all the other notes just fail to show up. I can tell they are there somewhere but the birch takes over completely. Lasts a long time, though.

jorum studio has done it -- i think this wins the award for weirdest thing i've smelled... TBC I LOVE Jorum; truly one of my fave houses, and though I don't enjoy this scent, I can appreciate the irreverence of it. That said, to me, this smells like sticky tar x mcdonald's chicken nuggets and bbq sauce (very specifically, McDonald's bbq sauce) or maybe Stubb's Hickory Liquid Smoke. I cannot unsmell it.

From a first impression I will probably never wear this since the smoky note is a bit much. But MY GOD! This perfume is conceptually and artistically exquisite! It is exactly firewater and somehow smells burning and fresh at the same time. I do enjoy it as a work of art but wouldn't wear.

Reading the reviews... no one mentions that rotten and revolting seaweed marine note as soon as this touches skin! It's like a campfire burning on top of floating rancid seaweed and algae! Just NO!

Charred pine trees, an air of angst. It smells like taking gulps of sea water while a fire rages around you consuming giant pine trees and all vegetation.

Instant scrubber. Smelled like citronella.