Esprit du Roi Penhaligon's 2011

...then they can tell a tale, as is well known. This also applies to fragrance journeys, and with Esprit du Roi, one can embark on such a trip. I was able to test Esprit du Roi yesterday at The Different Scent - that’s enough for me to write a report in this case.

Esprit du Roi starts off green-fresh. Aldehydes and other elements are involved. The complexity is present - individual notes are hardly distinguishable except for the mint. The mint note contributes significantly to the attractiveness of the top notes for me. I'm not sure if it’s more peppermint or spearmint that stands out here - I personally had a calm evening tea association. Thus, despite the fresh-green center, the top notes already have a soothing undertone for me.

The heart note - if one can even call it that - is quite a jumble. It was clear that something would change after 10 minutes, but no line was recognizable. I had quite a chaos on my skin that showed no specificity. A bit disappointing; I find this section to be the weakest part of this fragrance. We find ourselves on our fragrance journey between two highlights, waiting here reluctantly on a breezy platform for the next connection.

That connection comes after about an hour with a beautiful, woody base note. Terre d'Hermès makes another appearance - it’s the well-known cedarwood-vetiver combination, although not as dominant as there. The good thing is that a bright patchouli note is still perceptible. This gives the all-too-often plagiarized Hermès base note an individual character, which manages to convince all around. The cedarwood-vetiver combination is indeed quite bitter, and a bit more elegance would suit it well. The soft patchouli note delivers that - here, something good has been improved.

The calm base note is the highlight of Esprit du Roi for me. Personally, I don’t always enjoy fragrance journeys - this one leads from the herb garden into the forest. The idea with the patchouli is so good that it deserves to be placed at the center. Top and heart notes that already refer to the elegant woodiness would have made more sense to me. As it stands, the fragrance feels too fragmented - either I choose a fresh-green scent, or I’m in the mood for woody elegance. For both moods, something suitable can always be found, but please not both at the same time! Fragrance journeys are only beautiful when a direction is recognizable - but that’s a matter of opinion.

Thus, Esprit du Roi is recommended for the travel enthusiasts among perfume lovers. It hasn’t completely convinced me. Penhaligon's has a few excellent classics (e.g., Blenheim Bouquet), otherwise, new perfumes of quite varying quality are constantly being released, and some are discontinued. I think a chance was missed with Esprit du Roi. It will float around in the midfield for a while and then sink.

Unlike what is currently indicated here, I see Esprit du Roi (blue ribbon) as a men's fragrance - the counterpart Eau Sans Pareil (red ribbon) fits better as a women's fragrance.