Jorum Studio Athenaeum via Jorum Studio
“There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon from his Essays – “Of Beauty” (1625)
Scottish artisan perfumer Euan McCall’s eclectic visions inhabit his intimate perfumes. I find them to be both emotional and intellectual, a fascinating amalgam of experience and conjuring. He has kindly shared much of his work with me – and through that body of work I’ve been able to trace a lingering, iconoclastic leitmotiv which weaves gracefully throughout his compositions. It’s palpable yet it defies definition.
16th C. Scottish psalter book, Thomas Wode
When Jorum Studio Athenaeum was released my curiosity was piqued. A venerable archive of rare texts? For some such as I this is pure catnip. Combine that with authentic Scottish terrain, a youth ensconced in a bucolic setting, concomitantly (through the eye of memory) poring over crumbling tomes in a corner of the local library’s annals. A cornucopia of olfactory possibility: the evocative fustiness of aged texts and ink, of waxed oaken cabinets and beeswaxed floors which have witnessed the passage of time and harbor tales for the telling. They are silent to the ear, but to the nose they are unmistakably eloquent. The nose rarely (if ever) lies…
Lavender from Scotland via Unsplash
Locally sourced lavender makes it all the more precious: proud and vivacious, it pairs well with anisic fennel (just a touch) and the apples and honey (sweet and tangy). The leathery binding evoked by a Moroccan leather accord demonstrates how close in nature gurjun balsam and patchouli are, scent profile-wise. Neroli and hyacinth are the sun, set against brilliant Highland lavender and the earthy, hay-like verdant grassiness of flouve. All the elements in combination emphasize idiosyncratic personality; they augment its oddly lovely jolie-laide affect.
Euan McCall photo by Alex C. Musgrave
We feel a young Euan besotted with knowledge and nature – equally at home in the city or the countryside of his native Fife. Despite years and miles and oceans, this is an intangible thread which we share without ever having met in the real world. The boy under an oak tree, thumbing through books and newspapers; the girl in overalls and bare feet clambering up a beech with a book in her teeth. Hungry for information, incurably curious, bright and solitary. At ease in the stillness and privacy of it.
Jorum Studio Athenaeum 2020 courtesy of Jorum Studio
We think, question and explore, fortified by the natural world-meets-academe. It is the world of our youth and no mistake, fecund with discordance which fosters a restive harmony; it works, inexplicably. Athenaeum presents an eccentrically compelling journey, evocative and sure-footed. It stands out as one of the most unique perfumes of 2020, and is one to surely sample along the way. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience it. My dear husband noted that its intriguing nature sets up a force field which surrounds the wearer.
Notes: Scottish Lavender, Beeswax, Fennel, Apple, Honey, Neroli oil, Hyacinth, Flouve, Patchouli, Morocco Leather accord, Gurjun Balsam, Oak, Ink.
Flacon generously provided by the perfumer – many thanks, Euan! I cherish it. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Senior and Natural Perfumery Editor
Jorum Studio Athenaeum photo by Jorum Studio
Thanks to the largesse of Euan McCall of Jorum Studio we are offering a 30 ml flacon of Jorum Studio Athanaeum for one registered reader in the EU, UK, USA or Canada. 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 Athenaeum and where you live. Draw close 12/21/2020
N.B. – there exists a limited quantity of this fragrance – which sold out very quickly. We consider it a rare privilege to be able to offer our readers a bottle.
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