Dead Letter Office: Penhaligon’s Elixir- Casualty of the Reset Button

Posted on by in Dead Letter Office, Mark Behnke and tagged , , , .

The longer a brand is around the usual trajectory is a solidifying of a brand aesthetic. If there are some swings, they usually come early in their existence. In the case of perfume brand Penhaligon’s I could make the case they have never been able to figure out what they’re all about. For a brand over a hundred years old you might think they’ve figured it out. You would be wrong. Penhaligon’s has gone through so many distinctly different eras and styles it is hard to keep track. One benefit of all that uncertainty is there was bound to be a time of creative apotheosis. That happened in the years between 2006-2013. Perfumers like Mathilde Bijaoui, Bertrand Duchaufour, Olivier Cresp and Alberto Morillas had a freer hand under creative director Nathalie Vinciguerra. Too many of these have found their way to the Dead Letter Office including the one I think is the best of them all; Penhaligon’s Elixir.

Nathalie Vinciguerra

Mme Vinciguerra kept up her trend of working with the best perfumers as she asked Olivia Giacobetti to compose Elixir. She would come forward with one of her trademark transparent structures which has become one of my Holiday Season staples.

Olivia Giacobetti

By 2008 when Elixir was released the trend towards more transparent constructs was only being practiced by a few perfumers. Mme Giacobetti was one of the earliest and most creative working on these kinds of fragrances. She is one of the reasons I have some issues with many of the modern transparent creations now that the pendulum has swung so firmly in this direction. She showed me that transparency can have tremendous beauty in fragility. Elixir is a good example of how spices, florals, and woods can form an opaque Oriental.

Elixir opens with an accord of three spices; cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. I jokingly think of them as the “3C’s”. Mme Gicaobetti finds an ideal balance of all three so that they form this shimmering spicy accord. In an ingenious flourish she takes eucalyptus to provide mentholated lift to those spices. This is one of my favorite top accords by Mme Gicaobetti, ever. When I wear Elixir, I sometimes refresh it a few hours after the first sprays because I like it so much. What comes after is also quite good, but the beginning is brilliant. It moves through a floral phase led by a lightly indolic orange blossom paired with a subtle incense. This is another diaphanous accord which doesn’t sacrifice the soul of its ingredients. It finishes on a fabulous guaiac wood and sandalwood clean woody foundation.

Elixir has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.

Elixir has made it to the Dead Letter Office because of the schizophrenic nature of the Penhaligon’s brand. They hit the reset button early and often sending too many good perfumes off to oblivion. The nice thing is bottles of Elixir can still be found reasonably at many of the fragrance resellers.

Elixir has been one of my favorite perfumes by Mme Giacobetti I marvel at how well it stands up to cold weather as I wear it during the Holidays. It shows a sturdiness belied by its presence. The only thing which it couldn’t survive was the reset button.

Disclosure: This review was based on a bottle I purchased.

–Mark Behnke

Penhaligon’s 101- Five to Get You Started

Posted on by in Mark Behnke, Perfume 101 and tagged , , , , , .
1

There are very few perfume brands which span the history of modern perfumery. If asked, I am pretty sure most of you reading this could name the usual suspects. I would be surprised if more than a few of you thought of Penhaligon’s.

Penhaligon’s is one of the original perfume brands from England. Started in 1872 by barber William Penhaligon his first scent was called Hammam Bouquet to reflect the hammam which was next door. The line would last for almost 100 years until in 1976 it started creating new releases again. Sheila Pickles would begin the revitalization of Penhaligon’s overseeing the creative direction from 1976- 1999. Current creative director Nathalie Vinciguerra took over in 2008. Both of these women made sure Penhaligon’s continued to evolve throughout the years. It is an underrated brand. If you have never tried them here are the five I would suggest you begin with.

Hammam Bouquet is where Penhaligon’s began but it is the third release Blenheim Bouquet which I think is better. Wiiliam Penhaligon uses lemon and lavender in what would define that as a classic combination. The use of black pepper was way ahead of its time. It would be nearly a century before it showed up prevalently. Here it is an accent note to the woody pine and a few other spices. This is a perfume from 1902 which has no problem being relevant in 2016.

In 1999 Love Potion No. 9 for Men would provide a counterpoint to Blenheim Bouquet. Perfumer Christian Provenzano designed a spice-laden soft Oriental. It opens with rosewood and citrus underpinned with some green. The heart is where cardamom, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rosemary form a downy soft spicy core. The base is all warm amber, sandalwood and patchouli. In an era when the masculine oriental was on trend this was, and still is, one of the best.

penhaligon's elixir

One hallmark of Ms. Vinciguerra’s creative influence was she brought some of the best perfumers working to create at Penhaligon’s the next three choices reflect that.

Elixir, released in 2008, was created by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti. It seems unlike most of what Mme Giacobetti was releasing around this time. I think it is why Elixir appeals to me so much. She works in three distinct phases. Top is a spicy mix enhanced with a pinch of eucalyptus. One of my favorite opening to any of Mme Giacobetti’s perfumes. A lilting floral intermezzo of orange blossom leads to a base of incense, sandalwood, and vanilla. One of my favorite perfumes for colder weather.

When you think of English products perfume may not be high on the list but tailoring and men’s suits surely is. Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour captures the smell of a Savile Row tailor expertly in 2010’s Sartorial. M. Duchaufour moves from accord to accord capturing the smell of the fabric, the leather of the showroom, and the steam of the iron. A fragrant still life of the tailor’s milieu.

A ballet studio might not be seen as especially English either. Perfumer Alberto Morillas in 2013’s Iris Prima uses Hedione and Paradisone to create an expansive jasmine heartbeat around which orris, leather, and sandalwood finish the fragrance. One of my favorite perfumes of the last few years.

If you’ve resisted trying Penhaligon’s because you thought it might be old fashioned let these five try to change that opinion.

Disclosure: This review is based on bottles I purchased.

–Mark Behnke