Vision of a knight by Raphael via wikipedia
“And when she got to the Broomfield Hill, she found her lover asleep
With his hawk and his hound and his silk satin gown and his ribbons all down to his feet
She’s taken the blossom from off of the broom, the blossom that smells so sweet
And the more she lay it round about, the sounder he did sleep.
She’s taken the ribbon from off her finger and laid it at his right hand
For to let him know when he awoke that she’d been there at his command.” ~ Traditional broadside ballad, earliest publication 1711 (7 versions from Scotland), as recorded by Bellowhead
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes
Thanks to the creative ingenuity of award-winning independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, we are treated to extraordinary perfumes on a regular basis. Last year’s Heirloom Elixir March offering was my beloved White Rabbits; one year later we find ourselves upon the moors with DSH Perfumes Highland Idyll Heirloom Elixir No. 11. I’m finding a singular joy in this particular fragrance because it conjures an intense vernal sweetness wed to oral tradition and enchantment (quite literally). Highland Idyll sings of hope and new growth with the quality of myth and folklore.
Why the broom flower (Cytisus scoparius)? What’s so special about it?
Plantagenet emblem of broom flower via plantagenetsweekly.wordpress
The Plantagenet kings employed the common broom in their emblem, for one – and took their name from it (planta genista, in medieval Latin; genet = broom in French); Geoffrey d’Anjou being the first (nicknamed ‘plantagenet’ for the sprig of broomflower he tucked into his hat before entering battle). Common broom – also known as Scot’s broom – was used decoratively at weddings in northern Scotland to fashion bridal brooms (which were then placed in the bride-to-be’s room the night before), to promote fertility. Its potent aroma was said to tame wild horses and dogs. The medicinal uses of the plant include the treatment of gout, edema, low blood pressure, heavy bleeding, sore muscles. To this day there are folk in the British Isles who refuse to bring any part of the flowering plant into the household: case in point, the old Sussex saying – “Sweep the house with blossomed broom in May/sweep the head of the household away.” Conversely, witches both then and now made ‘brooms’ of this hardy plant whose use was to protect one from harm. One could say that our household brooms began with the plant itself. Brooms hung upside down augur ill fortune: all the luck would run out of them. According to Sir James Frazer in the Golden Bough, “old straw, furze or broom were burned in Scotland for Beltane fires ‘a little after sunset’ to repel witches”.
Scotch broom via iNaturalist
In the ballad Broomfield Hill aka Broomfield Wager, a nobleman bets a beautiful young maiden 500 pounds to her ten (a fortune even now!) that if she meets him upon this hill she won’t return with her virginity intact; the poor girl is terrified. Fortunately for her a wise woman (read ‘witch woman’) has the perfect solution: pluck broom blossoms from the bush and lay them all around him as he sleeps, leaving tokens to prove her presence – and she can come and go unmolested, honor unsullied. Remember my saying that broom tamed dogs and horses? Upon the hill, the young master’s faithful hound and noble steed are unable to awaken him to alert him. Broom both bewitches and becalms, apparently.
Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye via nomadasaurus.com
DSH Perfumes Highland Idyll is aptly named: all nascent things green, moist and misty reside in it. I emphasize the potent, honeyed broom absolute precisely on account of its narcotic, animalic characteristics – amplified by acacia honey absolute and beeswax. Highland Idyll is so very Scottish- feeling, resplendent with heather, hay, thistle (how is this accomplished, Dawn?), clover, tonic lavender, ivy, peat, the soft coumarinic liatrix. A lilting apple blossom accord follows the sunny rays of bergamot and neroli bursting through overcast skies; the addition of jasmine grandiflorum lends even more depth and roundness. Rocky, windswept terrain materializes with perfumer-created accords of wet stone and ozone, Atlantic breezes evoked by seaweed, limpid violet leaf. These atmospheric components nestle into a moody mossy base, resting upon vetiver, orris, pine and tree moss and briny ambergris. The vegetal, powdery musk of ambrette blends seamlessly with all the chosen green, honeyed herbal/floral tones; Highland Idyll is a Choral Work Perfume.
I appreciate that Dawn avoids the obvious pitfall of whisky commonly associated with highland distilleries; it exists in other fragrances but can easily overwhelm a composition, and it doesn’t belong in Highland Idyll, with its photorealistic natural ambiance. For someone who has not yet experienced the Scottish Highlands, the perfumer has painted us a memorable and delightful wearable landscape.
Notes: bergamot, neroli, green grassy and leafy accords, apple blossom, clover leaf, eglantine, lavender absolute, broom absolute, hay absolute, heather, ivy, thistle accord, jasmine grandiflorum, orris concrete, violet leaf absolute, liatrix, acacia honey absolute, beeswax, ozone accord, peat accord, wet stone accord, seaweed, Brazilian vetiver, pine moss, tree moss, tree sap accord, ambergris, ambrette seed
Sample provided by the perfumer – so many thanks! This perfume really moves me. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor
Bride of Lammermoor by Sir John Everett Millais via wikimedia
DSH Perfumes Highland Idyll Heirloom Elixir No. 11 is available for a limited time so be sure to purchase yours here
Thanks to the largesse of perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, we are offering one 10 ml voile de parfum perfume pen of DSH Perfumes Highland Idyll Heirloom Elixir No. 11 for one registered reader anywhere in the world. Please share with us what appealed to you about Ida’s review, whether you have a favorite DSH Perfumes Heirloom Elixir, and where you live. Draw closes 3/14/2020
We have reviewed each of the 2019 Heirloom Elixirs (please note that in 2020 the series will continue, but we missed Snowflakes of Venice #10). Please take a moment to read Gail’s review of #9 Lautrec (which was an adaptation of a perfume Dawn made for CaFleureBon’s First Birthday here, #8 Gold Leaf here. Lauryn’s review of Sharkskin # 7 here and Wild Coyote # 6 here. You can read Ida’s review of #5 White Rabbits here and Love is Everything #4 here, Number #2 and #3 Oudh Blanc and Aoud Noir by Lauryn here. The first was Essenza dell Ibisco, which I had the honor of collaborating with Dawn and reviewed by Ida here. You can read about the Heirloom Elixirs here. –Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
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