Blenheim Bouquet (1902)
by Penhaligon's

Lemon and pine. Huh. I think I know where Ralph Lauren got their "house accord" idea from (the underlying pine scent in all Polos). When I first smelled this a long time ago my initial reaction was Fruit Loops. Wow yeah this smells just like an old favorite cereal of mine. Trix smelled this way too. Fruity and milky. Man this is good. An odd nostalgia of my youth from an old standby from a British fragrance I've never heard of until recently.

So no middle notes in the official description, huh. Well, that's what I'd been suspecting all along. The pine takes over exactly when the lemon and lavender begins to fade.

BB is all about citrus, pine, pine and more pine. Gorgeous stuff, if a little reminiscent of Pine Sol. The scent reminds of those British colonels I met, who were my friends' parents. It has a sort of military precision to it, no frills, no fussing about. I don't know if I'd wear it, though, unless I want to come off as a disciplinarian.

Some mild florals would amplify the other notes and make it slightly more interesting, but it would also change its character, and I like it the way it is. Whoever made it handled the spices with some finesse. It's a no-nonsense fragrance that's cool, cerebral and distant yet also warm and bracing, making for good company in many beautiful places. It can become a little routine, but it has sufficient panache and manages to keep my interest. I wore it to an intense legal deposition not long ago and it worked well. Some people have mentioned that they think women don't like it, but that hasn't been the case with me. My girlfriend loves it. Here's a thumbs up coming at you.

First, here are the notes, as listed at Penhaligon’s website:

Head Notes: Lemon, Lime and Lavender
Heart Notes: Blenheim has no heart notes
Base Notes: Pine, Musk and Black pepper

The reviewer scentemental captures my experience with precision when writing, “Blenheim Bouquet opens with a sharp, tart citric blast which is carried into the heart notes by the aromatic pungency of thyme and pine, both of which are incongruously married with a slight but decided camphoraceous note.” I don’t detect lavender in the published notes, but I get thyme (or more accurately: lemon, lime, thyme, pine). This is a dignified scent. It conveys a sense of the wearer being sanctified: not in a religious sense, just the notion that the wearer is set apart. BB doesn’t try to entice or attract, and that sets it apart from virtually every cologne on the market. I enjoy it on occasion and must say that I am impressed by it.

Austere? Exactly the adjective I was going to use! Along with Yatagan, Barbier des Isles and Greyland, this is one of those sweet-free, spice-heavy frags that epitomizes masculinity. (No Lutens-esque sugar cones and treacles here!)

Citrusy, dry, coniferous . . . pure stiff upper lip stuff here. Little or no warmth, though -- this frag remains as cool and reserved on the skin as almost anything I can imagine.

Big thumbs up for an English classic.

A very dry citrus, supported by lavender and pine. The initial aroma was akin to mothballs, but it quieted down to a sophisticated and masculine citrus, long lasting as well. A true classic.

6 notes:

Top: Lemon, Lime, Lavender
Middle: None
Base: Pine, Musk, Black Pepper