Blenheim Bouquet

I must say that at first impression, this is probably not going to be your favorite. I heard someone say that it was an eau de fruit loop once, and I think that or lemon furniture polish pretty well sums up the INITIAL top note. Let it dry down just a little and you will find that it loses that chemical-like lemon feeling and really starts smelling like fresh lemon. However, this puppy shines when it hits those base notes. I like to think this is a "warm pine" which I think is rather unique. I am convinced that it is the dry down that as made this fragrance stand the test of time. I really, REALLY enjoy this fragrance. True to Penhaligon's form, it doesn't have outstanding sillage, but it's enough to occasionally get a whiff while you are sitting still. I'm certain that it isn't going to leave a trail a mile long, but really what you are paying for is class in a bottle with any of the Penhaligon's stuff. This is no different. Back to this "warm pine" note. I can't say that I've ever smelled this particular scent outside of a lumber mill. To be honest, that's really what it reminds me of. Have you ever smelled freshly sawn pine lumber? It has the smell of pine needles, but the saw has sort of burned it a little. This is the closest thing I can come up with to describe this smell. It's fresh, but it also feels a little burnt, or rather toasted. It's completely pleasant and will remind you of campfires without smelling like smoke. It's hard to describe, and perhaps that's what the black pepper adds to the show. I definitely recommend this to anyone. Just wait 15 minutes or so before you walk outside with it, or you are going to have some stoners with the munchies following you looking for fruit loops. 8.5/10

When I first smelled the bottle I thought; "hmm lemon sherbet...not for me". Then I got a sample and tried a bit on my wrist and thought; "actually, it might be good for summer, but I probably won't buy it". However, the other day I thought I'd try a different fragrance to work and I wore it out for the first time.....wow. I finally get it and love it! It's a particularly cold spring here in Scotland just now (about 3 degrees C on a good day!) and this fragrance goes perfectly with those cold, crisp and sunny mornings. I always thought of this as a summer fragrance, but it's the perfect scent for this time of year and the low temperature. I like to think that the obvious lemon note is like the sunshine, but the dry down brings a darker, spicier depth with strong incense throughout, making it very warm and comforting, especially during the cold mornings. Perfect. I work outdoors and smelling this all day lifts my spirits and puts me in a good mood. Like all the Penhaligon's, this just smells classy and well put together. It may not be particularly complex (although it is more complex than you first think, so give it a chance) but even the simple Penhaligon's just ooze elegance and class. There's not much more here than sherbet-y lemons, incense and a bit of musk and pine, but it's so nice! I'll be buying a full bottle next week! The only negative, as with a lot of Penhaligon's, is the longevity...not the best, about 3 to 4 hours on me. Projection is not too great either, but I think it suitable for this type of fragrance. You can smell it within a few feet which is fine, but the dry down is very close to the skin, so a spray top would be best in order to really get a good coverage.

I was looking for a Summertime Pine fragrance, so I purchased Creed Epicea, Dior Granville, and Byredo Gypsy Water. Then I found a good deal for a 100 ml tester of Blenheim Bouquet. Dissapointed that none have a clear, or dominant pine. Gypsy Water has the most noticable pine note of the 4. Blenheim Bouquet is very much like Granville, but inferior. The notes are good quality, but I gave Dior Granville a 10/10 rating. Blenheim Bouquet has an herbal note they are not listing, that blends with the citrus, giving the citrus a bitter green accord. BB came out before Granville, but Granville is just more complex, smoother, better crafted. It's like Tom Ford Italian Cypress coming out after Halston Z-14, very similar, but higher quality. The pine in BB is slightly more noticable than in Dior Granville. I like Blenheim Bouquet a lot also, it's dry, crisp and clean. It's not a total clone of Granville, it has some subtle difference that I will enjoy. So it's not totally redundant. I like the lavender here, that Granville doesn't have. The pine becomes slightly discernible from the mid- dry-down. It has a great musky dry-down that's warm and creamy, with some of the peppery, slightly sweet pine lingering. A nice evolution, and contrast from the dry citrus opening and mid. I have a large mostly niche collection, but I can see myself wearing this a lot in Summer, as a great go-to casual. It's classy with a simple fresh eligance. Rating: 8.5/10 God bless. John 3:16

I first smelled penhaligons in a hotel in NYC - a boutique hotel called The Carlton. Their house toiletry scent was Quercus. I could not get enough of it. When I looked up penhaligons and read all the descriptions and decide I must have the entire line. When I went on a business trip to Vegas where there was a Penhaligons boutique in one of the hotels. I remember trying on every single scent, being overwhelmed, and then deciding blindly that I was going to buy this one for my boy friend at the time (husband to be). I was terrified that it would smell horrible on him...but it didnt. I was quite struck when he first wore it. He has a warmer type of body scent which mixed with the smoky woods and citrus altogether smells like home to me. it smells like man and culture. Someone wearing this has a soul and you can have a conversation with him. He's going to write you a letter not just send texts. He will remember when you love a piece a of jewelry and it eventually shows up on your birthday. He will surprise you with a new bottle of serge lutens when you get back from a long business trip. The man wearing this is above money, insecurities and lust.

First whiff before applying; smoke. Almost coal-tar. I'm reminded of the washing of hands with coal tar soap in luke-cool to cold water at sunrise in winter on a farm in the British Isles, and the city winter pall anywhere in the British Isles when I was there. Or the coppicing of the willows and the smouldering of the charcoal under the mounds. It is absolutely nostalgic. Rigour and austerity were once paradoxically comforting things. You knew the routine and stuck to it and as a reward you got beautiful memories of white frosts, misty sunrises, iced puddles, porridge with brown sugar and cream donated by the cow that morning, the institutional pot belly stove and gruff but kind leaders of the uniformed, scouting sort. A bit like Moonrise Kingdom with less eccentricity and more ordinary fun. No element of Catch 22 at all. Serious, familiar goodness. Much later... There is something simple and sweet in the dry down. Coming to an ID, the imagination was whisked into a memory of cake baking. I think it's the type of vanilla they call 'extract' where it's mixed with alcohol in the tiny bottles.