Elixir (2008)
by Penhaligon's

A very peppery scent that smells like most run-of-the-mill peppery scents. The opening is very ‘in your face’ but that’s as interesting as it gets, with a generic and... erm... peppery drydown.

Masculine? Why, of course!

[Original submission date: 24 November 2008]

I love the top notes and Galamb_Borong describes them perfectly in his review. The cinnamon has been melted, it seems, to the other spices, eucalyptus and the rose/incense.

When it dries down is when it started to become a scent I didn't like anymore. I think there's a certain aldehyde Giacobetti used, that rubs my nose the wrong way. It tickles my nose when I smell it, then it slights burns it a little. The effect it gives to the fragrance is a shiny almost glossiness. I really wanted to the spice and incense to be warmer...not shiny.

Subsequent wearings confirmed it for me that I do not like it.

Nice, admirable and yes I agree...a wonderfully modern oriental. But, not for me.

One of the best offerings from this house, and significantly different to anything else that they have produced thus far. The balance of ingredients in the opening is expertly done, the very spicy blend of cardammon,cinnamon and mace produce an accord so smooth and edgy that one fears that this might be a one note wonder. Thankfully, this is merely the taste of further treasures to come. Added to this opening are the sweet, yet restrained rose and jasmine notes which elevate and augment the fragrance in a seemless and effortless manner. The drydown phase is perhaps the most accomplished,with the slowly fading top and middle notes, elevated by the presence of incense and woods. Finally one is afforded the luxurious splendour of the late introduction of vanilla and tonka bean. This really is a very special creation, and I will look forward to its company on many cool days in the future.

Elixir was a pleasant surprise for me. I'd ordered a sample as a bit of an afterthought, really, and wasn't expecting much after so many negative reviews. It's a bit quiet, it's true, but not much more so than Giacobetti's other work. Those expecting a voluptuous oriental will find this spare, etiolated and thin - it's subtle, subtle, subtle. Just a will-o-the-wisp of steam off of hot apple-cider dregs.

The top notes come on warm, almost hot, a cinnamon note married to clove, cardamon, and frankincense. The rose note is warm, tart and lively, but isn't fruity.

From the very start Elixir has a certain seamlessness I find attractive. It's as though the spices have been grafted organically on to a core of cinnamon, and despite it ostensibly being a rose soliflore, the rose isn't the star; it's the stage on which the other notes perform their magic.

After the warmth of the top notes subside, an intriguing woodiness emerges and mingles with the persistent spices. The "official" notes mention eucalyptus, but this note is the opposite of a cough drop. What it reminds me of is birch.

About a decade ago I was staying with some friends in Prince Edward Island. It was late March, but as is typical in that part of the world, there was still several feet of snow on the ground. Each night we'd have big roaring fires, fed by birch logs that were freshly cut and lying frozen in the yard. These logs would bubble and hiss on the fire, the sap fleeing the heat and bubbling out the top end of the logs in a syrupy stream. Elixir takes me right back to that moment in time. That smell is its smell.

There is a faintly vanillic oriental base, but it's just a ghostly presence; a touch of velvety roundness to an otherwise sheer fragrance.

Describing the sillage is difficult. It's very soft, but it also has a reasonable amount of spread. It's something you don't notice until it you think about it and realize you're surrounded by this faint haze of delicate spicy something.

Longevity is decent, about eight hours, becoming more of a skin scent as it progresses.

This is about as pared down an oriental as you're going to find, and I think Olivia Giacobetti did a wonderful, minimalist take on an opulent genre.

Penhaligon's Elixir

Olivia Giacobetti is one of the most reliable noses out there, for me. On my personal scoreboard she has always scored a hit but for Idole de Lubin. It was with high anticipation that I sprayed on her latest creation Penhaligon's Elixir. This is a beautiful composition that on me feels just right for a winter morning. The top hits high C with a spicy mixture of cardamom, cinnamon and clove. These three notes are skillfully combined but it is the next note into the mix that elevates the beginning; as a vaporous eucalyptus joins the 3C's and give this the feel of a sauna where someone spilled a spice basket on the hot rocks. This beginning is so good I want to keep spritzing myself so I can keep experiencing it. That would be bad because the heart of this is tonka, incense and vanilla. Another trio of notes that pulls this one into a softer place from the spicy beginning. The incense keps the transition from being jarring and as the tonka and vanilla arise the transition into the heart is complete. The base is the yin and yang of sandalwood and guaiac which brings this to a woody close. Penhaligon's Elixir is easily my favorite Penhaligon's to date and Giacobetti has another hit on my scorecard.

In a lot of ways, I see strong parallels to Opus 1870 and this. The major difference is that there's an inherent sweetness found here that isn't seen in Opus 1870 and the level of rose is ratcheted up to a rather sickening level that makes enjoyment only for the sincere rose lover. It puts in the same realm as Hammam Bouquet as the powdery, sweet, spiced rose with hints of cedar tends to last... and last. Sillage is weak, but its persistence at skin level is admirable. Not a fragrance I particularly enjoyed, definitely not my style, and in a lot of ways feels like a rehash of Hammam and Opus 1870. I don't feel this is especially masculine; however, I felt the same way about Hammam Bouquet. Perhaps this is an trans-Atlantic or trans-centennial difference of opinion. Your mileage may vary, though.