Douro Eau de Portugal Penhaligon's 1985

Douro (in English: Duero) is the name of a river that flows through northern Spain and northern Portugal before emptying into the Atlantic at Porto. From the Spanish-Portuguese border to the area around Peso da Régua, the regions surrounding the Douro form the growing area for Port wine.

The river was a fitting name for the fragrance for two reasons. Firstly, the wild rockrose plants used in the scent grow at Quinta da Roêda, a well-known wine-growing area in the Douro Valley, and secondly, along the river are the vines of the Croft wine house, for whose former owner Percy Croft the fragrance was created in 1911. To celebrate the three-hundredth anniversary of the Croft wine house, the fragrance was modernized in 1978.

However, the river was not the original namesake. In 1985, the previously discontinued fragrance was reissued under its original name Lords. It was only after a rebranding in 2008 that it has been known as Douro Eau de Portugal.

The fragrance opens with citrus notes but is softened by bergamot and mandarin, balanced with lavender and geranium, giving it a slightly sweet touch. This results in a fresh yet dry top note that is more pleasing than that of the widely known Blenheim Bouquet. The basil adds a herbaceous-green nuance to the top note, moving it further away from Blenheim Bouquet on the olfactory map and leaning towards English Fern.

The top note shifts from the fresh start to a subtle, light floral note that never lets you doubt that this is a fragrance for men. What initially seemed dry transitions into a slightly powdery scent. The floral hint, attributed to lily of the valley and neroli, is far from the extroverted nature of Hammam Bouquet, and the powderiness is by no means as dominant as in Raquet's Formula.

In the base, musk, oakmoss, and sandalwood unfold. The musk is bright and clean, not animalic. Penhaligon's informs us that Douro's gentle leathery nuance was inspired by the aromatic labdanum plant found in the Douro Valley. If one were to locate the base within Penhaligon's universe, it would lean towards Sartorial.

Douro Eau de Portugal is a deep and intensely aromatic cologne with moderate sillage and good longevity, although it becomes perceptible only close to the skin after a short time. It embodies the qualities that are characteristic of many Penhaligon's fragrances, making it instantly recognizable.

Penhaligon's has posted a video online in which the fragrance is presented as Penhaligon's most serious and formal scent. This seems more accurate to me than the parallel drawn in the video to barbershop fragrances, which are plentiful in London perfumeries (Harris, Trumper, Taylor of Old Bond Street). Douro is a classic fragrance but not an outdated one. Its metallic touch alone sets it apart from the barbershop scents, which I enjoy smelling but rarely wish to wear. Douro, however, leaves no doubt about its wearability. A fragrance that can hold its own in any well-groomed business environment.

I find the image Penhaligon's offers regarding its wearability by women very apt. It would have the sex appeal that women exude in their boyfriend's sweatshirt. An image in which I gladly lose myself.

In conclusion, I must lament that Penhaligon's exclusive importer in Germany is withholding this fragrance from us, just as it has made Hammam Bouquet and Raquet's Formula increasingly hard to access. Douro might not be a bestseller, but it would surely capture a loyal following. Men who remain faithful to a fragrance and women with that certain sex appeal that suggests more than it reveals.