Gorseland

Trying to unpack Gorseland is like trying to untangle a decades-old unkempt English countryside hedge: virtually impossible. The first to be trimmed away from the hedge is the fruit, and Gorseland has a lot of it. Underripe pineapple that’s more green than juicy, a good amount of Meyer lemon juice in that it errs more towards the side of sweet and fruity than hesperidic and sour compared to ordinary lemons, and finally plenty of Granny Smith apples. The green apples in particular during the opening are about the equivalent of burying your face in a pile of both freshly cut green apples and a mulch of green applewood. When the onslaught of fruit calms down, Gorseland shifts gears more towards the typical classic green perfume genre - but this is McCall remember, so No. 19 or Vent Vert this will not be. Gorseland goes more in the direction taken by Mal-Aime from Parfum d’Empire in that the hyper-pressurized green notes are not your classic galbanum-type notes, green woods, or anything of the like. But unlike Mal-Aime, there is absolutely no space in this perfume whatsoever. I am finding it impossible to pick apart individual notes because McCall seems to have taken every “green” aromachemical he could get his hands on and fed them into a particle accelerator to become infinitely dense like a collapsed star. This perfume is just one massively dense singularity. One note I am certainly able to pull is the elderflower, an aroma which I love and is a staple ingredient in my home bar. That translucent floral honey note of elderflower liqueur that turns a cocktail from mundane tavern plonk into a tantalizing elixir for the palate swims in the tiny seams of all of these synthetics. The final skin scent retreats to the beginning albeit for much softer presentations of yellow and green fruit. I give up. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be smelling. But do I like it? Yes, actually, I do. It does actually smell quite good, quite unique, and it is certainly gripping my mind in the correct way. I have not been able to pull my wrist or the blotter from my nose for more than a few seconds without going back for another sniff, and yet I still wonder if, when, and how I’d like to wear it - and why. What is keeping me on the fence is that I’m not sure I am understanding who this perfume is; I don’t know what it’s trying to say or do, and therefore I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel or if it fits me. Imagine an eloquent actor reading a very well written children’s story, captivating and enriching and completely comprehensible, and then imagine a droning, loud, continuous, fuzzy and distorted extraterrestrial voice of myriad harmonies belting some completely unintelligible language from the voids of space. Gorseland is the latter. Though, I am listening.

wow wow wow!!!! extremely fresh and bright in the opening. it made me gasp. it’s like mushing up a handful of freshly sprouted leaves from a wild shrub and adding a bit of unripe pineapple. not what i was expecting at all, but i’m still pleasantly surprised. it doesn’t smell like a perfume, but rather wildly natural and scenic. it smells like a landscape, but in a refined way. it’s herbaceous and aromatic, but not in a medicinal or traditional sense.. it smells so young and crisp. sour crab apple, wild chamomile and green pineapple pave the way for a punchy kick of gorse. creamy and very slightly coconutty. green prickly gorsebush with its creamy yellow blooms tinged with zingy cannabis buds. amazing! it’s so hyper-realistically vegetal. this perfume is truly one of a kind and entirely genderless. it’s perfect for inquisitive artistic souls who embody a deep lust for the unknown. i live in ireland where gorse is abundant all year round.. so for me this scent is actually quite perfectly suited to my natural habitat. there’s literally a plethora of elder trees, geranium & gorse bushes right outside my window lol i could step outside and blend right in. i can’t wait to wear this on my next mountain hike!

I came in to a local shop and asked for recommendations for a fizzy floral like Zdravetz or Sundrunk - I didn't like the geranium or neroli in them so I wanted another flower - and another salesperson mis-heard me and enthusiastically brought forth Gorseland, which has the zdravetz geranium note. I protested "but I don't like geraniums!" and I'm so glad that they insisted "just try it!!!" It immediately smelled SO overwhelmingly familiar but it took me like 10 frustrating minutes to finally identify what it was: fresh pressed carrot juice!!! I happen to adore carrot juice, so sweet and root-y, ugh I'm getting thirsty just thinking about it! After another 20 minutes I was able to relax my perceptions enough to appreciate the other notes: a calming herbiness, a light floral, perhaps even the geranium but I didn't mind at all. Of all the samples I tried, Gorseland is what I ended up wearing out of the shop. It's a very unique and wearable composition and I'd love to experiment with it in different environments. Lasted about 6 hours on my skin.

Reviewing a sample from 2024. Gorseland was launched in 2022. Gorseland is fresh, sunny and herbal. This opens with sweet citrus and fresh apples on a dry herbal base. It continues tropical smelling fruit ? pineapple in the mid with a touch of neroli. I have not smelled wild gorse but apparently it smells like coconut, often with undertones of vanilla and almond. It is here if you look for it. The cannabis base is light, herbal and a bit sour. In most cases, fruit + sweetness is a no go for me but here they are so well balanced with a realistic natural heft. Not fizzy synthetics or girlie at all. Quality- excellent Unisex Performance- very good Fresh, rich, fruity and almost tropical unisex fragrance. I am surprised that this is at all polarizing as it is fresh and interesting with no off-putting notes - relatively tame for such a niche fragrance house. One of my favourites from Jorum along with Paradisi, Highland Rose and Pony Boy. 8.5/10

Gorseland - what a strange and wondrous journey through the wilds of the Scottish countryside you are! Some of the notes in this eccentric creation read like ingredients one would only find in the fairy kingdom where the fairies of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" reside: milk-vetch, catchfly, woodruff, gorsewood, gorseflower, and zdravetz, among other equally intriguing notes. Euan McCall is a super interesting perfumer and one whose work doesn't need to follow trends, but represents true artistry. Gorseland is the antidote to 'department store perfume': it has a rawness to it; the smell of vegetation, brush, thistles, damp meadows sprinkled with a few delicate yet hearty tiny yellow flowers, and windy grey skies with a storm blowing in off the coast. This is a nature-lovers perfume. Gorseland is a stunning portrayal of the raw beauty of Scotland, and every time I wear it, I'm immediately transported. Amazing creation!!