Jorum Studio Elegy and Jorum Studio Pentimento Review (Euan McCall) 2021 + Luxurious Neo-Classicism Draw

December 1, 2021December 1, 2021

Jorum Studio Elegy and Pentimento photo by Alex C. Musgrave©

New offerings hailing from Jorum Studio are always an experience to be savored. When a box containing two slender rectangular flacons from Edinburgh arrived last week I couldn’t wait to sample them. Scottish artisan perfumer Euan McCall is likely to draw inspiration from myriad sources; with his latest releases, Jorum Studio Elegy and Pentimento, one feels a wistful nostalgia which saturates them each with a luxurious neo-classicism bordering on tender melancholy. They couldn’t be more different from one another – which constitutes part of their charm. Allow me to introduce you…

Jorum Studio Elegy courtesy of Jorum Studio©

“The fading memory of a perfume once worn.” ~ Euan McCall

La grande passion qui se fane après la flamme (the grand passion which fades after the flame) ~ Ida

That which burns so ardently and effusively may in time fade, like the soft whispering cobwebs which cling to Miss Havisham’s wedding gown, her evanescent beauty. That first great love intoxicates beyond all reason – and this is precisely how Elegy commences. Unbridled floral revelry is the order of the day: I smell glittering aldehydes lifting off with bergamot and petitgrain in tow. Cascading rivulets of local lavender and herbal, honeyed heather dovetail and are rapidly aligned to a bevy of ebullient blooms – jasmine, orange flower, geranium, Bourbon rose (SO beautiful!), and honeysuckle provide the sensation of abundance. It’s so lovely that it makes you ache. Such beauty cannot last forever, although it lingers graciously for quite awhile – long enough to give one hope. The base which endures is yet another splendid episode and vintage chyprish in feel: ambrette, synthetic musk and ambergris, oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli encounter a deeply coumarinic hay and benzoin, embellished with cedar and a wisp of oud. Silvery powder, touchingly earthy/mossy/loamy vestiges prevail as the faded flowers murmur gently beneath their tenacious musky cloud of scent.

Notes: bergamot, Scottish local lavender, honeysuckle, petitgrain and heather absolute, jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute, rose absolute, geranium Bourbon, ambrette seed, benzoin, cedar absolute, patchouli absolute, hay absolute, oakmoss absolute, musk, labdanum absolute, oud, ambergris

Jorum Studio Pentimento courtesy of Jorum Studio©

“Old paint on a canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the painter “repented,” changed his mind.” ~ Lillian Hellman from her autobiography, Pentimento

Jorum Studio Pentimento is not so much about repentance as it is about the unfolding of that which lies beneath layers of hedonism and elegant indulgence. I would characterize it as Gourmand Grandeur: voluptuous in a rococo manner, epicurean and brimming with extravagance. Imagine the dewy headiness of Tahitian gardenia, an imagined scented orchid and honeyed, nectarous broom waltzing with an intense true hazelnut absolute at a dizzying tempo. The hem of that voluminous gown sweeps across the floor, trailing dusty/jammy/brandied/coffee shadows (carob absolute) which mingle shamelessly with rum, vanilla and tonka. The complex floral profile of tobacco flower as accent: spicy as a carnation, plummy, bittersweet, costly, rare and difficult to define. As the perfumer himself expresses, these are not scented wraiths, they are choices one makes during a lifetime through altered perspective. As such, Pentimento is a departure from previous Jorum Studio fragrances with its pâtisserie personality – all the while retaining the complexity for which the studio is known.

Notes: tiaré, orchid, hazelnut and broom absolute, carob absolute, tobacco flower, vanilla, rum absolute and tonka bean absolute

Flacons generously provided by the perfumer – many thanks, Euan! I cherish them. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior and Natural Perfumery Editor

Editor’s Note: CaFleureBon named Euan McCall “Rising Star of 2019” -Michelyn

Thanks to the largesse of Euan McCall of Jorum Studio we are offering a 30 ml flacon of Jorum Studio Elegy or Pentimento for one registered reader in the UK and one registered reader in the USA (two winners). You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please comment upon what appealed to you in Ida’s review of Jorum Studio Elegy and Pentimento, which you would prefer should you win and if you live in the UK or USA. Draw close December 5, 2021

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