Beaufort London Iron Duke (Leo Crabtree & Julie Dunkley) 2017 ~New Perfume Review + Last Great Englishman Draw

                              
The Duke of Wellington by Thomas Lawrence, c. 1815–16

"For this, thy track, across the fretful foam

Of vehement actions without scope or term,

Call'd history, keeps a splendour; due to wit,

Which saw one clue to life, and follow'd it." — Matthew Arnold, “To the Duke of Wellington”


Scotland Forever! by Lady Butler, 1881

Musket fire hangs suspended in the tepid air, cloudy ghosts that hover over the bodies of the fallen. As the smoke drifts, defeat lies tattered and victory is declared, a straight-backed figure looks down from the great height of his chestnut horse, a slight grimace of acknowledgment turning the corner of his mouth. The Battle of Waterloo has ended; the day is his. The latest perfume from Beaufort London, celebrates Sir Arthur Wellesey, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852). Beaufort, whose Fathom V won last year’s Art and Olfaction award for Best Independent Perfume, is launching Iron Duke as the first of the the house’s new Revenants line, fragrances that  are intended as "olfactory impressions of figures from Britain’s past.

Leo Crabtree of Beaufort London

 The Duke of Wellington, Tennyson’s “last great Englishman,” was a national hero who brought Napoleon’s conquest of Europe to a decisive end at the Battle of Waterloo. Perfumer Julie Dunkley’s creation combines notes that suggest prominent aspects of the Duke’s public personae — war hero, politician (he became prime minister for two years) horseman, style leader — and weaves them into a smoky, animalic perfume with the head-on forcefulness of its namesake.

Photo by Nicholas Hayward©

The first minutes of Iron Duke are a gallop of pungent notes: acrid gunpowder smoke; the raw, tannic smell of new saddle leather at its heels; a sweaty, animal note tumbling into the leather. A rusty, bloody saltiness is there, too, mixed into the fumy, horsey tang. Like earlier Beaufort perfumes, creative director Leo Crabtree, working with Dunkley, has grabbed a moment of extremity, even of violence, and distilled it into scent.


The Time Traveller fashion editorial, Client Magazine  #8

In the second stage, things settle down a bit. Iron Duke dismounts from his steed and strides to his study. A spotlight comes up on the leather as the cade-like smoke quiets, and the smell of moist pouch tobacco comes forward. That caustic tannery note calms itself into something more like the oily  aroma of polished boots. Something minty comes through here, perhaps the greenness of the tobacco leaf, met by some alcoholic, dried fruit sweetness — a cordial glass of brandied plums — which plants itself squarely in the middle of the fragrance while the other notes get used to it. Dried hay comes in briefly, the brittle, crackly smell of straw in the stable. At this stage Iron Duke becomes more approachable, the pipe and leather-bound aromas of the gentlemen’s club taking precedence over its initial brash animalism.

Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya, c. 1812

In the drydown, the distinctive wax smell of saddle soap is apparent, even though it stays close to skin. Bring your wrist to your nose, and soap and tobacco are dominant; move your arm away, and the leather and smoke turn around. As a perfume portrait, Iron Duke does not pull its punches. Wellington, the victor of Waterloo, was not all hero; a bit of wash as prime minister, lasting only two years before his government fell. And he was, quite plainly, a cad, ignoring the wife he found “ugly” after his war exploits were done, and bedding down with a succession of aristocratic mistresses. So, fittingly, there is an accommodation between aggressive and welcoming notes in Iron Duke; stately and sweaty, the smooth aromas of refinement in parallel to the rough smells of warfare.

Ruby Rose, photo by Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone

While Iron Duke’s hell-for-leather smokiness may at first come over as robustly masculine, it is the kind of bold but wearable animalic leather an Iron Lady can absolutely carry off. See you on the battlefield.

Notes: Sweet snuff tobacco, metal, alcohol, animalic notes, saddle soap, leather, gunpowder, hay.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

 Beaufort London Iron Duke

Thanks to the generosity of Indigo Perfumery, we have a 50 ml bottle of Iron Duke for 1 registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what what you found compelling about Iron Duke based on Lauryn’s review, and if you have tried a Beaufort London fragrance before. Draw closes 11/12/2017

We announce the winners only on our website and on our Facebook page, so like Cafleurebon and use our RSS feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

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16 comments

  • fazalcheema says:

    The name, bottle, and the pictures in this article give a good idea of what to expect in Iron Duke; leathery smokiness with vibes of past centuries. I have not tried anything from Beaufort London yet. I am in US.

  • Pretty cool looking bottle. Prob will smell like what the Iron Duke went through. Interesting. Thanks

  • Beautiful bottle. The notes are very interesting with gun powder.
    This perfume sounds very interesting to me and something I love love to wear on the cold weather.

    In WA,US.

  • Being a veteran ( a former Corpsman Medic stationed with the United States Marine Corps) , Iron Duke beckons to my military background. The opening notes in this Fragrance sound eeriely reminiscent of battle with a drydown that masculine and fresh. I am not familiar with Beaufort London fragrances, but this has HIGHLY peaked my interest! I surely hope to be able to win this magnificent blend!

  • This sounds like a perfume for which you stand at attention. It sounds like a marvelously masculine fragrance which would be wonderful on my partner. I’m unfamiliar with the house, but this sounds so promising. Thanks for the draw. I live in the USA

  • Great review, Lauryn!!! So nice, as in hystorical nouvelle. Thank you!!!
    I think it will be very stronge smoky-tobacco perfume.
    I’ve never tested any Beafort London perfums.
    USA, DE

  • “A bold but wearable animalic leather that an Iron Lady can absolutely carry off”- my favorite line of this review that has made this fragrance very compelling to me! I have not tried any fragrances from this line. I reside in the USA.

  • I liked the history lesson. While I don’t think it’s for me I would love to gift this for the holidays. I had never heard of Beaufort before

  • I read this first descriptive sentence: he first minutes of Iron Duke are a gallop of pungent notes: acrid gunpowder smoke; the raw, tannic smell of new saddle leather at its heels;. I didn’t need to scroll down to know that this review was by Lauryn! Her descriptions are always so beautiful and eloquent! And the photos are perfect. I feel like I really understand the perfume . Such an enjoyable start to my day!. Thank you Cafleurebon.!

  • Hell-for-leather smokiness being robustly masculine… Acrid gunpowder smoke and a sweaty, animalic notes tumbled into new saddle leather… WOW what an intro… I think the drydown hs to be where it’s at. A fragrance of early 19th century describing a horse mounted Soldier. Moist pouch tobacco, dried fruit, saddle soap. Almost a stable vibe… Ya, I think I’m MAN enough to pull this off. No I have not tried any of his offerings… I do live in the US. THANK YOU for this draw!

  • I enjoyed the walkthrough description of the perfume’s development. Reads like an ideal man’s fragrance for the extreme cold weather. US

  • I really enjoyed this review!!! I’m curious about how this perfume wearability, because its pyramide are reach by animal ic notes, Tabasco and leather. It’s sounds very brutal perfume. I’m not familiar with Beaufort perfumes. From USA

  • Lauryn’s review expertly depicts what seems to be a beautifully composed fragrance, with something for everyone. “Aggressive and welcoming” with, “the rough smells of warfare” had me sold. I have sampled the entire Beaufort London line with the exception of Iron Duke. Coeur de Noir was my favorite from the lot I sampled. I am located in Texas, USA. Thank you!

  • I’m new to this fragrance house. Love the notes – can’t get enough of tobacco and leather in a fragrance; especially for cold winter months!

    I live in NY.

  • I just love learning about history from perfume reviews. Lauryn knows just the right adjectives to make me want to try this:rusty, fumy, caustic, brittle, crackly. I love the photo of Ruby Rose. Excellent choice to illustrate this. I’ve never tried anything from this house.
    I live in the USA.

  • I enjoyed Lauryn’s review of Iron Duke and am fascinated by its notes – sweet snuff tobacco, metal, alcohol, animalic notes, saddle soap, leather, gunpowder, hay. I’ve not yet had the pleasure of wearing a Beaufort London fragrance.