Jorum Studio Rose Highland, Gorseland, Firewater, Healing Berry Review (Euan McCall) 2022 + Scottish Odyssey Draw

 

 

Jorum Studio Scottish Odyssey

Jorum Studio Rose Highland, Gorseland, Firewater, Healing Berry Scottish Odyssey collage by Michelyn© Jorum Studio

 

Scotland small? Our multiform, our infinite Scotland small? Only as a patch of hillside may be a cliché corner

To a fool who cries ‘Nothing but heather!’…Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid, 1974

 

 Euan McCall of Jorum Studio

Euan McCall of Jorum Studio © Euan

Edinburgh-based artisanal perfumer Euan McCall of Jorum Studio has recently released an aromatic highland quartet, aptly named Jorum Studio Scottish Odyssey. I’ve been desperately attempting to avoid gratuitous gushing – but frankly, I’m finding these four extraits thrilling on so many levels. Level One: anything Odyssey has my soul stamped upon it; Level Two – the evocation of Scotland’s natural beauty as exemplified by four distinctly different terrains is pure catnip; Level Three – each parfum is uniquely lovely unto itself, complete and fully-fleshed. Considered as a group or individually, nothing else on the market smells quite like them – and they smell marvelous. Whomever you may be, there is one which will delight you, guaranteed.

Image of the Scottish Highlands via unsplash

How to do them justice? Uncovering a literary voice which wasn’t banal was the challenge. Quoting Bobbie Burns is too facile – akin to shooting fish in a barrel; referencing14th C. epic poet John Barbour, too obscure. 20th Century Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid strikes a balance which resonates and deviates from stereotype. In July, 1948’s My Heart Always Goes Back to the North, he augurs current day perfumery and lovingly addresses our fifth sense: “But some day this most delicate of perceptions will be laid bare too…there will be chairs of osmology in our universities, ardent investigators searching out, recording, measuring, preserving in card indexes the departing smells of the countryside. Hayfields will be explained in terms of Coumarin, beanfields in Ionone, hedge-roses in Phenyl-Ethyl-Propionate, hawthorn as Di-Methyl-Hydroquinone (But will they ever capture the scent of violets among the smoke of the shoeing forge, or explain the clean smell of a road wet with summer rain?)”.

I may be mistaken, but I suspect that perfumer Euan McCall might feel similarly. He aspires to capture the specificity of olfactory landscape in every fragrance he’s composed to date. Jorum Studio Scottish Odyssey feels intimate; each extrait was inspired by a particular landscape.

Jorum Studio Rose Highland

Rose Highland © Jorum Studio

 

Jorum Studio Rose Highland: From a mountain suited to the intrepid climber, Euan gives us a Highland Rose: flinty, thorny and saline in character, it is possessed of a singular spicy, fruity/herbal beauty. Delicate touches of clove evoke rhododendron; sweet basil is indescribably companionable with heather, rose, geranium and jasmine. Gentle, too is the employment of oak and vetiver – which could easily overtake this rose-centric composition. Rose Highland is proof positive that there is always room for one more rose in our perfumed pantheon – provided that it is of exceptional quality, as this one is. Rose Highland Notes: Place reference: Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe. Azalea, Sweet Basil, Pink pepper, Bell Heather, Clove Bud, Primrose, Rhododendron, Jasmine Absolute, Geranium oil, Rose Absolute, Atlantic Oak, Flag Iris, Vetiver, Ambergris, Mineral Accord

Gorseland Scottish Odyssey

 Gorseland bottle image© Jorum Studio

Jorum Studio Gorseland: By the very nature of the phrase, we are referring to a wild, scrubby domain where only the hardiest vegetation flourishes. I always associate gorse with the ‘prickle-eye bush’ of folklore: “Oh! The prickle-eye bush that pricks my heart for sore! And if ever I get out of this prickle-eye bush, I never will get in it anymore!” Pineapple weed is a relative of chamomile which charms; it feels intuitive to marry sweet woodruff, elderflower, lavender and other aromatic materials to it. A glance of neroli, a soupçon of mellow marijuana (kush), grassy/floral gooseberry, enriched with that Balkan relative of the geranium, zdravets: herbal/woody with comely floral tones.  Gorseland surprises us at the outset before settling into a soothing mellow elixir. Jorum Studio Gorseland Notes: Place reference: Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh. Pineapple weed, Neroli oil, Chamomile, Gorseflower, Crab Apple, Lemon oil, Astilbe & Lavender Absolute, Gooseberry, Milk-vetch, Elderflower, Catchfly, Woodruff, Gorsewood, Zdravetz, Kush Accord

 

Firewater by Jorum Studio

Jorum Studio Firewater © Jorum Studio

 

Jorum Studio Firewater: Off the Isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides we are at the mercy of a natural phenomenon near Islay: home to world-renowned rich, peaty whisky beloved all over the globe. I do love a wee dram of smoldering aged single malt, and Euan McCall’s rendition is a hearty, venerable one: sat in oaken casks for years, tingling with spicy and leathery notes (black tea, juniper berry, ginger, osmanthus, birch, guaiacwood and labdanum) and bracken. I don’t know how he achieved it, but I smell the salt ocean which surrounds these isles as surely as if he sequestered it within my tumbler. Jorum Studio Firewater Notes: Place reference: Corryvreckan Whirlpool, Isle of Jura. Black Tea, Juniper Berry, Nettle, Grapefruit, Beardtongue, Osmanthus Absolute, Ginger, Bracken & Larch, Birchwood, Sugar Kelp, Guaiacwood, Vetiver, Oakwood, Benzoin, Labdanum Absolute, Peat Accord

 

Jorum Studio Healing Berry

Healing Berry © Jorum Studio

Jorum Studio Healing Berry: I find that it’s rather tricky to achieve natural-smelling berry accords in perfumery: so many result in a plasticky mess which might provide an amuse-nez in certain circumstances, but it’s not something I personally wish to wear. Jorum Studio Scottish Odyssey Healing Berry is the exception, and it is as lyrical as it feels legendary. Wisps of anise-toned artemisia consort with tangy sweet/sour blackcurrant, a breath of minted rose, the jammy earthiness of raspberry leaf; I’m unable to identify the other berries inferred but they are seamless. Grassy, candied violet leaf and orris butter share a common conviviality; the cereal accord resonates with comforting familiarity. Healing Berry is a sophisticated Celtic fairytale perfume. Jorum Studio Healing Berry Notes: Place reference: Valley of Strathmore. Artemisia, Blackcurrant Absolute, Tayberry, Willowherb, Sloes, Wild Mint, Rose Absolute, Logan Berry, Buckler Fern, Violet Leaf Absolute, Raspberry leaf, Orris Butter, Himalayan Balsam & Cereal Accord

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

~Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Editor’s Note: Euan McCall was Michelyn’s CaFleureBon Rising Star of 2019

Deputy Editor’s Note: Firewater was experienced concomitantly with the taking of an Islay single malt for purposes of comparison. The perfume is smokier! My husband pulled incredibly musky notes – whereas my skin bloomed spicy, leathery fruit and flowers: one perfume, two perceptions.

Thanks to the generosity of Jorum Studio, we have a 30ml bottle of either Jorum Studio Rose Highland, Gorseland, Firewater or Healing Berry extrait from the Scottish Odyssey collection for one registered reader in the US and one reader in the UK for a total of two readers (you must register on our site or your comment will not count). To be eligible please let us know which you choose, what you thought of Ida’s reviews and where you live. Draw 5/20/2022

In the USA, Indigo Perfumery has Scottish Odyssey in stock here.

Luckyscent.com has a great selection of Jorum Studio Perfumes here

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial @idameister and @jorumstudio @jorumlaboratories

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

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49 comments

  • Oh wow. SO hard to choose, I adore Euan’s creations. Excellent review Ida! My favorite part is this.
    I don’t know how he achieved it, but I smell the salt ocean which surrounds these isles as surely as if he sequestered it within my tumbler. Jorum Studio Firewater Notes: Place reference: Corryvreckan Whirlpool, Isle of Jura. Black Tea, Juniper Berry, Nettle, Grapefruit, Beardtongue, Osmanthus Absolute, Ginger, Bracken & Larch, Birchwood, Sugar Kelp, Guaiacwood, Vetiver, Oakwood, Benzoin, Labdanum Absolute, Peat Accord
    I live in the U.S. and would love to win Firewater. Thanks for the very generous giveaway!

  • Karl Topham says:

    Great job, tough to pick, would go with Firewater, it pulls smoky on your husband. So sounds like a great unisex scent.

    Karl UK

  • Huge fan of Jorum studio and looking forward to trying these! The one that especially appeals is Healing Berry, this could not be more up my street especially with mint and violet and orris in the mix. I am in U.K.

  • joetelegram says:

    Great entry.

    I love the confidence here: “Whomever you may be, there is one which will delight you, guaranteed.” I need to bottle that up and take it with me! I’ve got some folks in my life that do not understand my passion for perfumery. I keep telling myself that they just haven’t smelled the right things yet, and that I am ‘completely normal’. Ha!

    Thank you for this well delivered entry, Ida. I look forward to learning more about Jorum Studio.

    If I am selected, I would like “Rose Highland”.

    Thanks Ida for the entry, thank you Michelyn and CaFleureBon for the opportunity, and thank you to Jorum Studio for the generosity!

    Joseph O’Brien–Roseburg, Oregon (USA)
    Instagram: @joetelegram

  • All four of these creations by Jorum Studio sound lovely based on Ida’s reviews, and as she says, all of them are wonderful. I am drawn to Jorum Studio Firewater and am curious about how fire and water are created in a perfume, a contrast of yin and yang. I am hoping Jorum Studio’s Euan McCall has successfully created this dance of fire and water, yin and yang. I loved reading this by Ida: “20th Century Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid strikes a balance which resonates and deviates from stereotype. In July, 1948’s My Heart Always Goes Back to the North, he augurs current day perfumery and lovingly addresses our fifth sense: “But some day this most delicate of perceptions will be laid bare too…there will be chairs of osmology in our universities, ardent investigators searching out, recording, measuring, preserving in card indexes the departing smells of the countryside. Hayfields will be explained in terms of Coumarin, beanfields in Ionone, hedge-roses in Phenyl-Ethyl-Propionate, hawthorn as Di-Methyl-Hydroquinone (But will they ever capture the scent of violets among the smoke of the shoeing forge, or explain the clean smell of a road wet with summer rain?)”.” Thanks for the reviews and a generous draw. I am from the USA.

  • ScentedKnits says:

    “celtic fairytale perfume…” sign me up! I love several of Jorum Studio’s fragrances and am lusting after a sample of Healing Berry. Actually I want to sample all four, but will settle for one! I live in the US.

  • What a coincidence, I was just debating whether to try a few of these in my next sample order from Indigo Perfumery, but was holding back due to the lack of reviews. These all sound so transportive! I think I’m leaning towards Healing Berry if I were to win. I love fruity perfumes when they are of the naturalistic variety, and I am very intrigued by the cereal accord. USA

  • I think it is a unique point of view to reference Scotland in a perfume. We are so used to the topics or lavender fields of france, but Scotland? No, we do not see that in perfumery. I’m intrigued. Because of that I would like Gorseland. Totally different. In maryland

  • Ida!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
    I love this review so much! If Ida recommends it, then it must be Amazing! I’ve also really loved what I’ve experienced of Jorum Studio! I really would love any of these…
    Rose Highland: flinty, saline rose? Yes, please.
    Gorseland: oohhh… I’m sure I’ve never smelled the like! Exciting!
    Firewater: the sommelier in me is shouting for this one
    Healing Berry: if Ida says this is a lyrical & legendary (realistic!) berry, then we all need to run to find it!
    If I were a lucky winner, I honestly couldn’t decide… send me any of them! Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! ❤️ USA

  • I ordered samples of all four of these as soon as they were available. Ida’s review beautifully captures all four scents, but the one I am truly taken with is Rose Highland. It’s exactly the moody, wind-bitten rose I want. I’m in New York, USA.

  • It was amazing reading of how each of these fragrances was inspired by a landscape and how they capture everything from it, making it like a photorealistic fragrance. I totally loved it!
    I think I would choose Firewater because of the salty notes and how it resembles an ocean. But they all look amazing.
    USA here.

  • Jorum Studio fragrances are not your run of the mill ordinary type fragrances. These are all unique, like, one of a kind unique and doing so in a pleasing, intriguing way. I applaud Mr. McCall for blazing his own path while creating these hand made fragrances using the highest quality. Thank you Jorum Studio for the generous giveaway and good luck to everyone!
    I would choose Firewater if I won.
    Oklahoma, United States

  • hshinkoda says:

    Love the review! It’s amazing how the perfumer Euan McCall can captures the essence of the Scotland’s landscape!!! I think the one that got my attention was Firewater. I love all the notes!!! Massachusetts, US.

  • GennyLeigh says:

    Euan McCall has such an intuitive ability to interpret a place in scent. I can absolutely picture and olfactorily imagine the referenced Scottish lands. All of them sound lovely but since I’ve been told I have ancestry in the Strathmore area, I would choose Healing Berry. I enjoyed reading Ida’s review. Her enthusiasm for the series is infectious! MD, USA.

  • Well last night I was watching Outlander with my favorite Dram, Laphroaig from Islay so Firewater would have to be my choice. Scotland is so beautiful and I would love to visit again as I’ve only been once when I was in my teens. From USA

  • All these sound so wonderful! I do like a peated scotch but I’ll have to go with choosing Gorseland instead. Loved the description of how every note works together and the prickle eye bush folklore! The idea of having fragrances that celebrate Scotland is amazing. I live in CA, USA.

  • I enjoyed the thorough description of each of the four followed by their note listings. If randomly chosen I’d love to have the Healing Berry. US

  • jonah richmond says:

    These four all sound amazing. Hard to pick from them as they each sound like they embody their inspiration perfectly. For me personally gorseland sounds incredible however.

  • soccerjunky says:

    These four all sound amazing. Hard to pick from them as they each sound like they embody their inspiration perfectly. For me personally gorseland sounds incredible however. USA

  • Ida,
    You outdid yourself with this review!
    Euan is such a fascinating perfumer, totally listening to his own calling… and nails it every time.

    I still can’t decide which I like better…

  • A sample set would be my favorite choice, simply because these sound so amazing! I would probably pick Rose Highland, though, despite the notes list of Firewater, which is more my normal thing. Just can’t resist the description Ida conjured for us! I live in the USA.

  • Dubaiscents says:

    Thank you for covering all four of these fragrances, Ida! I am always curious about Euan’s new creations and I love that he always ties them back to Scotland. I would have to go for Gorseland because there are so many notes I have never heard of and I appreciate any flowers that can grow in harsh environments. Thanks for the draw. US

  • The four new releases from Jorum Studio sound incredibly unique. I love that they are all based on Scotland’s natural beauty, which is quite stunning. I have never smelled gorse but Gorseland does sound very soothing. The berries, cereal, and artemisia in Healing Berry sound like it genuinely evokes a Celtic fairytale. I enjoyed reading Ida’s reviews of all four fragrances, but I am especially intrigued by her review of Healing Berry. I agree with Ida that it is hard to achieve a natural berry fragrance, but Healing Berry seems like one of the few that managed to do so. Therefore, I would love to win a bottle of Healing Berry. Thank you, Ida, for the reviews, and thank you to Jorum Studio for the giveaway. I am located in the USA.

  • Jorum Studio Firewater: Off the Isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides we are at the mercy of a natural phenomenon near Islay: home to world-renowned rich, peaty whisky beloved all over the globe. I do love a wee dram of smoldering aged single malt, and Euan McCall’s rendition is a hearty, venerable one: sat in oaken casks for years, tingling with spicy and leathery notes (black tea, juniper berry, ginger, osmanthus, birch, guaiacwood and labdanum) and bracken. I don’t know how he achieved it, but I smell the salt ocean which surrounds these isles as surely as if he sequestered it within my tumbler. Jorum Studio Firewater Notes: Place reference: Corryvreckan Whirlpool, Isle of Jura. Black Tea, Juniper Berry, Nettle, Grapefruit, Beardtongue, Osmanthus Absolute, Ginger, Bracken & Larch, BirchwoodSugar Kelp, Guaiacwood, Vetiver, Oakwood, Benzoin, Labdanum Absolute, Peat Accord. A beautiful piece by Ida this is a house that just hits the spot everytime. I am really intrigued by firewater sounds amazing. Thanks a million from the UK

  • Sugar Kelp, Guaiacwood, Vetiver, Oakwood, Benzoin, Labdanum Absolute, Peat Accord. I am probably gravitating towards firewater but they all sound great. Thanks a lot from the UK

  • What a collection! I would love to wear these while visiting their locations. If I win, I would chose Gorseland (like many, I despise Gorse, but would love a perfume that invokes it’s prickly but fascinating character). Thank you for the review, writing from Ireland.

  • I’ve never been to Scotland, but all of the Scottish Odyssey series sound amazing! Because I would love an actual berry scent, I’d choose Healing Berry. I am in the US.

  • roxhas1cat says:

    a lot of notes I have not seen in other fragrances, how interesting. I am not familiar with this line, but would love to win Healing Berry because of it being a Celtic Fairytale and sophisticated too. Thanks for the chance. USA.

  • Ida’s review painted an amazing picture of all of these scents. I am most interested in Rose Highland. NV, USA

  • Firewater, sat in oaken casks for years, tingling with spicy and leathery notes. From UK

  • Thanks for the review Ida!

    Jorum Studio Perfumes is one of the reasons I want to travel to Scotland this year. The countyside is incredible and fromwhat I’ve heard in the reivews, Jorum has translated it’s beauty in their perfumes. Locally sourced materials give their fragrances a uniquely Scottish flair which I would love to experience myself.

    If I were lucky enough to win, I would choose Gorseland. To me this sounds like it encapsulates a fresh Scottish morning walk through the Highlands which I look forward to experience myself this summer!

    Greetings from the UK!

  • punchflower says:

    I like the description of the prickle eye bush in Gorseland. It’s always amazing to me how walking through scrub can have so many prickly bits and yet smell amazing just after rain. I’d love to try a perfume based on hardy wild shrubs. Though the others sound amazing as well, I would choose Gorseland. From US

  • Great review, so much creativity in scent and prose! As someone who has never met a scotch I didn’t like, I would have to choose Firewater. I’m in the US.

  • I have never tried a Jorum Studio creation, but the way Ida so eloquently ‘laid them out, unfurled them was quite excellent. In her explanation of each, I could almost smell each one. But the one that I really want to get my nose on is Jorum Studio Healing Berry.

    I live in Waldorf, Maryland, USA.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thank you for the beautiful and detailed review, Ida.

    I’ve been following this perfumer ever since they first appeared on CFB.

    I really appreciate the perfumers commitment to give us an idea of the Scottish landscape in this perfume series. It is no mean feat to capture the Highlands, The ISles, the valleys and produce from this land in one colllection.

    I would love to win either Gorseland or Firewater.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • Michael Prince says:

    I loved Ida’s review of Jorum Studio Rose Highland, Gorseland, Firewater, and Healing Berry. Talented perfumer Euan McCall created 3 beautiful fragrances I loved learning about in vivid detail from Ida. I am really loving the sound of Firewater with so many unique aromatic and boozy facets that really intrigue me. If I win I choose Firewater. I am from the USA.

  • If I had to pick one from the Scottish Odyssey collection, I would go with Rose Highland. I enjoyed Ida’s review and how each fragrance in the collection was highlighted. Each one was a reflection of a specific landscape in Scotland.
    Greetings from Maryland, US.

  • Courtnee Felton says:

    I appreciate the context Ida gives for her very thorough perceptions of each scent. I would’ve thought pineapple weed smelled like pineapple otherwise. Lol. I definitely want Gorseland if I win. I’m in the marshlands of Tidewater Virginia.

  • rodelinda says:

    I’ve never had the pleasure of sampling a Jorum Studio fragrance before, but I moved to Scotland recently and would love to smell perfumes that are evocative of this glorious landscape. As tempting as the smokiness of Firewater is, my first choice would be Healing Berry for some seamless berry and cereal goodness. I live in the UK. Thank you!

  • Uncle1979 says:

    “I find that it’s rather tricky to achieve natural-smelling berry accords in perfumery: so many result in a plasticky mess”
    Truth to be told there are well made fragrances with berries accords ,mostly niche, but predominantly the smell is indeed artificial.
    There’s also something else, there are some berries , some are hybrids, some not, that are so sweet, some huckleberries, strawberries and blackberries and so on. If I squeeze some of those in my palms , and tell 10 people to close their eyes, and smell my hands at least 8 of them would think that’s some artificial, and not natural smell, because of the high amount of sweetness.
    Ida’s take on Jorum Studio Healing Berry reminded me of making, and later eating Cassis Cake , with fresh mint leaves on top, the fragrance i’d like to win
    Appreciate the four mini reviews, and the giveaway campaign
    USA

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I’ve been interested in trying Jorum Studio’s collected works but I haven’t had a chance to do that yet. It seems like McCall always has interesting notes (and combinations of notes) for his fragrance releases. I’d like to try all of these fragrances, but if I win then I’d choose “Firewater”. I live in the U.S.A.

  • IvanVelikov says:

    Jorum Studio Healing Berry grabbed my attention with its elegance, and refinement .
    Aromatic, spicy and just a bit sweet , the fragrance is stepping in the right direction .
    If Ida is thrilled, it only shows what kind of job Euan McCall did with all 4 new fragrances.
    Thank you Ida , and Jorum Studio
    USA

  • msnitechemist says:

    I’m so fascinated with Euan’s scents after you first introduced Elegy and Pentimento (which I sadly did not win). I love Scotland so much that I really want to win one of Jorum’s scents while I’m still unable to travel to my beloved Edinburgh. Although I’m taken in by all of Ida’s descriptions, the one I’d most likely wear is Healing Berry, as fruity perfumes, whether straight up fruit or with a woody background, are my go-tos when it comes to perfume. Firewater sounds lovely but I’m allergic to grapefruits. Thanks! I live in USA, Maryland.

  • Jorum Studio I’m not familiar with. All four fragrances are unique in their own way. After some hesitation I’ll go with Healing Berry
    I feel like the fragrance is full of life, and joy , keeping its lavish character.
    Thanks for the draw
    USA

  • I’m lucky to have been able to visit Scotland, and I have particularly fond memory of the Islay distillaries. I remember a smell wholly unique to that place; damp grass, the smell of nearby woods, seaside breeze, malting barley, and peat smoke. Ida’s words regarding Firewater brought me right back. Thank you for the wonderful review!

    I’d love to try Jorum Studio Firewater. Thanks!

    I’m in the midwest, USA.

  • petergigov says:

    What i like in Jorum Studio new collection, is the creativity of the new fragrances, without losing the wearability.
    The cereal accord ,the rose and the iris tipped the scale ⚖ into Healing Berry favor , fragrance i’d gladly wear on a date, or going out to a bar.
    Exciting giveaway
    USA

  • WaltherP99 says:

    I’d never get tired of reading Ida’s reviews, I just can’t. I’m a fan of her approach to fragrances, and reviews, she shared with us what she thinks, and perceives , but she’d never shove her opinion down our throats .
    Jorum Studio Pentimento is fun ,and happy elaborate fragrance i tried, and bought again because of Ida’s review on Cafleurebon.
    Open jar of Nutella and lots of orchids
    I’m torn between Firewater and Healing Berry , either will put a smile on my face
    Just followed @jorumlaboratories , all other profiles I already follow, @waltherp99bg
    Thanks a lot
    USA

  • sephrenia300 says:

    Fantastic review Ida! I thought Ida’s reviews were very evocative and beautiful particularly Rose Highland and Gorseland which bring to mind such specific and stunning Scottish landscapes.

    If I were to win, I would love to choose Rose Highland. I live in the US.

  • Ida always makes me want to try whatever she has reviewed. It is a gift. Soof course I want to try all of these! If I have to choose, maybe Rose Highland. (Although Firewater was a very close second….) NC US