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British Tales

Castile Penhaligon's 1998

7.4 / 10 103 Ratings

A perfume by Penhaligon's for women and men, released in 1998. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is being marketed by Puig.
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Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Floral

Woody

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Neroli

Petitgrain

Heart Notes

Orange blossom

Bergamot

Rose

Base Notes

Musk

Woods

Ratings

Scent

7.4103 Ratings

Longevity

7.079 Ratings

Sillage

6.471 Ratings

Bottle

7.977 Ratings

Value for money

7.214 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein · last update on 10/24/2024.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the British Tales collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Eau de Néroli Doré

Echt Kölnisch Wasser Eau de Cologne

Fou d'Absinthe

Gentlewoman

Neroli Portofino Acqua

Neroli Portofino Eau de Parfum

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/28/2012

5Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1240 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review

Castile Soap Facsimile--as advertised...

Penhaligon CASTILE opens as a citrus aromatic scent with pronounced petit grain, but shortly thereafter the castile soap facsimile takes over and persists. This soap has an alkaline edge which does not appeal to me very much. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the soap base of the Clean line, of which I'm also not very fond.

This is definitely not a feminine scent, nor is it masculine. It is a particular type of soap in a bottle. Those who do like the house of Clean might want to check this one out. However, those who prefer their soap in perfumes to complement complex floral compositions will probably be happier with something along the lines of WHITE LINEN or CALECHE.

07/19/2024

Raluko111
431 Reviews

Raluko111

Best soap fragrance.

A simple scent of soap. Clean, freshly washed laundry hanging out to dry in the sun. The perfect unisex scent that compliments a woman as well as a man. I feel even fresher after a bath if I wear this. It's very similar to Naviglio from Milano Fragranze, but unlike that scent, it doesn't sour on me in the dry down. It really delivers on what the name promises.

02/02/2012

1Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Lola82
361 Reviews

Lola82

Soap and Skin

The opening starts fresh with petit green
and zesty Orange blossom but turns soapy
within a few seconds which it is overwhelming at times like antibacterial soap but what notes makes it responsible
for the soapy feel i think it's the rose and the wood note. and the dry down of musk
is nothing to write home about.

10/15/2013

9Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Palonera
467 Reviews

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Palonera

Top Review 27

Of Dreams and Dreaming

Colognes are, alongside Chypres, the fragrance family that I had to work the longest to approach, the one I had to circle around persistently before I could finally unlock it and become enthusiastic about it.
This is, of course, due to Grandma.
More precisely: To Grandma and her preference for Eau de Cologne, for that little bottle that was her constant companion everywhere, except on very special occasions when it had to be a "real" perfume.
Now, I loved my Grandma dearly, but I didn't want to smell like her for a long time - not like calf-length skirts with orthopedic shoes, not like mouse-gray buns and high-Sauerland village idylls, neighborhood gossip, and obligatory Sunday church visits.
For many years, these were my associations whenever the keyword "Cologne" came up - until Mr. Mugler released his remarkable Cologne and began to slowly unravel the knot.

Since then, a dozen years have passed during which I gradually got to know and appreciate the colognes of various houses, and eventually made my peace with 4711.
Grandma's green-gold bottle still does not find a place in my collection, but I am sure she would find one or two candidates there that could have competed with her favorite, even though she would never have admitted it, the loyal soul.
A particularly sharp potential competitor might be "Castile," perhaps the most beautiful and at the same time the most powerful Cologne I have encountered so far.

When "Castile" ignites the obligatory neroli bomb at the moment of spraying, which radiates brightly and clearly throughout the surroundings for a few seconds, a dreamily beautiful, watery-bright rose blooms in the reflection of its fading, delicate and fine and noble, as one might only find in classic English fragrances.
Nothing here is thorny, prickly, or rebellious - British understatement pairs with innocent elegance, giving the fragrance an almost irresistible charm, which is further enhanced by soft, white, skin-like musk that, after a few hours, rounds out the scent, imparting a soft-focus, sensual character that I have yet to experience in any Cologne.
The hairspray note often evoked on my skin by this type of musk is absent in favor of a silky-powdery veil that envelops the still youthful rose and gives "Castile," despite its noticeable traditionality, a modern touch.
While I still wonder if the Queen would also be enthusiastic about this work, bergamot and neroli return to the stage, reminding us that despite some lustful transformations, we are dealing with a very classic Cologne that, in contrast to many other similarly named waters, possesses enormous staying power and still winks at me sleepily from the pillow the next morning.
Grandma would have had a hard time resisting it.

08/22/2017

8.5Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

loewenherz
917 Reviews

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loewenherz

Top Review 19

Hidalgo

With some perfumes, much like with some people, you can hardly believe their age. However, while it is generally considered rather uncharming to think someone is older than they actually are, this can be different with fragrances - at least with some of them. This is one of those.

It is barely twenty years old (and hails from a decade when Penhaligon's was certainly experimenting with 'quirky' scents), but when you sniff and feel it, it could just as well be a hundred years old - or at least its formulation could. Castile, Penhaligon's tribute to Castile - is Old School through and through.

It is an uncomplicated and essentially simple fragrance - like most (good) colognes are - with really only two accords. On one hand, there is - of course! - its hesperidic opening - bright and exuberant, reminiscent of the cheerfulness of a fountain, and as fleeting as an ice cube in the Castilian July sun. And then - and this is almost (but really only almost) even more beautiful - follows a fine and very subtle soapiness - with really just a tiny hint of musk in it. Castile is crisp, zesty, cheerful - and yet possesses a self-assured calmness and effortless elegance that, despite its Spanish name, is unmistakably British. And delightful to wear.

Conclusion: 'hidalgo' - short for 'hijo de algo', which translates to 'Son of Something' - refers to a member of the lower Spanish nobility. Not one who bows and scrapes before fur-clad majesties and purple-robed excellencies at court, but one who gallops through the Castilian expanse on a saddleless horse, perhaps pursuing peasant girls and sometimes enjoying an extra glass of red wine. One who is carefree and cheerful. And yet of noble blood - just like Castile from the venerable London house of Penhaligon's. Barely twenty years old - almost hard to believe.

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