Highgrove Bouquet

After aimlessly wandering around the perfume hall in Harrods yesterday, while my husband entertained our small Grandchildren (6 and 3) in the toy department, I checked out all those that were on my list to try: Delina original (I have bought a couple of copies/dupes), a few Bond No 9s, and another one which i cannot remember the name of now, but was in a peacock glass bottle with a peacock feather adorned near the lid. I actually nearly bought that one as at that point felt disappointed, pressured and reluctant to give in to the persistent salesman! I nodded as he frantically dove under the counter for my boxed scent... But at that point felt quite sick. Nearly £300 for a creamyish floral that wasn't quite right!!! I made my apologies and said I needed to make sure- as I walked away. He reluctantly offered that he'd put it under the counter for later (probably swearing under his breath at the lost commission). Anyway, we fought our way through the crowds on our way to Covent Garden, and were stopped in our tracks by a wonderful smell wafting across the pavement. We looked up: we were outside Penhaligon's! My husband asked me if I wanted to go inside? I didn't need asking twice!! I perused the display, sniffing the lids of the offerings. The assistant tried to help me, but I found it difficult to describe what I was looking for.. My husband settled on 'William' as it is the name of our precious grandson 💙 I had moodily given up looking/ sniffing. Then- he called me over to smell another one. He had been asking about the royal connection, and if 'William' was named after Prince William?🤴🏻 He was told that it was actually named after William Penhaligon the founder, however the royal crest on the wall was in connection with (the then) Prince Charles (now King) who had input into the 'Highgrove' EDP. I wandered over, bored and disappointed. BUT then I sniffed the fragrance strip! It was a beautiful fresh, powdery, clean smell like clean washing on a line in a cottage garden! I loved it! It had faint hints of Private Collection by Estee Lauder (after it has settled for an hour) then Cardamom and Mimosa by Jo Malone in the background. Clean, classic, royal, natural, like fresh towels near cottage garden flowers in bloom on a sunny afternoon. This was it, the scent i had been searching for! PS They also engraved both of our bottles with special notes FOR FREE!! I am beyond happy with my choice. (Also my bottle is refillable, so I'll have it forever!)

#27 of My Fragrance Journey: Penhaligon’s Highgrove Bouquet – A Garden in My Skin Every now and then, a fragrance doesn’t just sit on your skin - it stops you, catches your breath, makes you pay attention. Highgrove Bouquet did exactly that for me. First spray and I thought: oh. This is it. This is the one. The opening? It’s bright, almost sparkling - like spring waking up. A vernal zing of citrus, green and lively, with that rush of light you get when the morning sun cuts through damp leaves. It’s fresh, it’s quick, almost fleeting - but it sets the stage. Then the heart blooms. Linden blossom - the silver lime flowers - comes forward, and it’s magic. Soft, powdery-green, with that honeyed glow only linden has. It’s not citrus at all; it’s a floral haze, golden and gentle, like standing under a linden tree when the air is thick with blossom. Mimosa threads through it, adding warmth and a kind of airy sweetness that feels like sunlight caught in petals. Together, they radiate this lush, living freshness that’s neither too floral nor too green - it just feels real. And then it grounds itself. The cedar in the base is smooth, dignified, and quietly strong. It anchors the whole thing without weighing it down, like polished wood beneath layers of greenery. Wearing Highgrove Bouquet feels less like putting on a fragrance and more like stepping into a memory - a garden after rain, earth warm beneath your feet, blossoms overhead. Fresh yet timeless. Radiant but refined. Not just a smell - an atmosphere. And I can’t stop thinking: this could be my signature. The one I reach for without question, the one that always feels right. Highgrove Bouquet is lush, radiant, grounding, and - honestly - utterly enchanting. I’m in love.

I really love this fragrance and I find it so light, airy, joyful and spring-like. It is very much a yellow floral, but it has a citrusy top note to it that makes everything fresh and somewhat unisex, though it leans slightly feminine to me. Like a previous Fragrantican said, it is like "bees in a field of golden flowers and pollen" and I don't think that anyone could feel sad while wearing this. Linden blossom is of course the star of the show, with its sweet, honeyed and green character, but mimosa is its sidekick, making everything fluffy, slightly almondy and slightly musky. I can't really smell any wood in here and I feel like it just adds longevity to the fragrance, which is a win for me, since I prefer non-woody fragrances by far too woody ones. Penhaligon's Highgrove Bouquet is deceptively simple, but it has a subtle complexity to it and you can tell it is made from only the finest ingredients that they could source. It is perfect for spring and summer days, it lasted about under 5 hours on my skin and it has a moderate sillage on my skin. It is just beautiful and I'd give it an 8.5/10. Totally full bottle worthy and perfect for the English royal or aristocrat in us all!

I cannot wear floral fragrances, but this doesn’t smell like a floral ‘perfume’... it genuinely smells like an real English garden on a sunny day, very different; greens, trees, the moist air, the warm sun. Hints of green tea, cut grass and cedar neutralises the gender. Comparing floral samples side by side (Penhaligon's, Matiere Premiere, Kilian...), what makes this floral distinctly different is that there is something unique that conveys a feeling of bright light. The perfumer used the process of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry molecular analysis to recreate the unique scent of the garden. It's like a recording studio for scents, absolutely fascinating technology. Unlike most of the Penhaligon's collection, this EDP has endurance, clinging to my skin and evolving to a lovely cedar for over 4 hours-If you are making an EDP for the future King, you better not cheap out. Not only did I buy a full bottle, but my husband and I are planning a trip to the Highgrove estate to walk in the hanging silver lime garden that was recorded to create this masterpiece.

This has been one of the finest among the surprising spate of new linden fragrances that have appeared lately, and, with its addition of mimosa, produces the impression of standing in a beautiful summertime garden in the height of summer. My only regret is its price point, which is surprisingly high given that it was produced with the approval of the current king of the United Kingdom and named after his Gloucestershire estate. (Wouldn't he have wanted to produce something that more of his people could afford to enjoy?) It's not as soft or as feminine as many other linden fragrances, although it's certainly not as bracing as MAB's Tilia, either. It really hits a nice sweet spot.