Dilys Laura Ashley 1991 Eau de Parfum

Laura Ashley's Dilys reminds me of the slivovitz my Polish-born grandmother used to make with beach plums, sugar and vodka: a homespun concoction with a decadent edge. Grandma's purple home brew tasted rich, packed a punch and drove a wicked hangover. (Fermented in a big jar, it required you to strain out the maggots before drinking.) Dilys, by the firm that smothered the 1980s in motherly chintz, starts out in the potpourri vein and then (probably thanks to the oakmoss) takes a darker, boozy turn: Yankee Candle meets Blue Velvet. If you're into chypres it's definitely worth a try.