Blenheim Bouquet Penhaligon's 1902 Eau de Toilette

Blenheim Bouquet (Eau de Toilette) by Penhaligon's

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7.5 / 10335 Ratings

Blenheim Bouquet (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Penhaligon's for men and was released in 1902. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is still available to purchase. Pronunciation

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Perfumer

Walter Penhaligon

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Lime Lemon
Base Notes	Musk Pine Black pepper

Ratings

Scent

7.5335 Ratings

Longevity

6.4251 Ratings

Sillage

5.9248 Ratings

Bottle

8.1238 Ratings

Value for money

6.431 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein, last update on 27.04.2022.

Interesting Facts

Blenheim Palace is the best known building of the baroque period architect and dramatist Sir John Valbrugh. Being the ancestral seat of the Duke of Marlborough it is one of England's most popular castles and the largest non-royal ancestral seat. The perfume was said to be designed personally for the Duke of Marlborough in 1902.

The scent doesn't have a heart note.

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Reviews

08/16/2021

8
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle 8
Pricing

MajorTom

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MajorTom

Helpful Review 5

Conservative - herbaceous - classic

Penhaligonˋs - a name like a thunderbolt when it comes to fragrances.

And yet, the access to the various fragrance creations of the venerable English house is difficult for me. At the same time, you can not accuse the house as such to have lingered in the past, but were regularly launched new fragrances. For me, however, most of them too special or too little special, only Sartorial could inspire me so far.

Now then one of the oldest fragrances ever, Blenheim Bouquet. The prelude is surprising, not only for me, but also my environment. Immediately after spraying, the very first thing I hear is a spice, which is not found in the fragrance pyramid: Ginger. That I can not be so wrong with this perception, confirms the first person I meet three minutes later, whose statement: "did you just drink a ginger shot?"

This is off to a good start, I think to myself, and turn first to other things of everyday life. After a quarter of an hour, the ginger is gone and the scent makes a twist in the direction of fresh. From my point of view, it is neither really citrusy nor aquatic, but simply pleasant and soothing. The freshness, which is hard to describe, gives way another half hour later to a certain herbaceousness, which is by no means musty, but well tolerable. The greenness that comes along combines with the basic herbaceous tones to create a nice overall arrangement. Further great changes I can not diagnose after that, the green-herbaceous remains dominant with me until the fade.

This extremely classic fragrance reminds me a bit of Floris 89, also this yes an "old" fragrance from the last millennium, and even if both do not really have much in common, the basic DNA is present somewhere. Both also have the image of an opa fragrance, which I wouldn't see as a negative at all. Yes, Blenheim Bouquet is a classic, as it is no longer "built" today, but perhaps that is part of the fascination.

To the evaluation in detail:
Scent: Simply classic. For some, stale and old-fashioned, for others a reminiscence of the beginnings of the fragrance industry.
Sillage: at the beginning more than clear, after three hours just as clearly decreasing, after six hours no longer present.
Durability: about the same length, after five hours skin tight.
Flacon: brand-typical, without gimmickry, but beautifully made.

When and for whom?
I actually have difficulty imagining teens or twens in this fragrance cloud. Rather maybe from 40, but for this group wearable all year round. No excitement, but a classic that gives you the good feeling to have done everything right.
Test recommendation.

2 Replies

05/19/2021

7.5
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Serenissima

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Serenissima

Top Review 13

Noblesse oblige

Blenheim Palace is the ancestral home of the Churchill/Duke of Marlborough family Since time immemorial, their members have been an integral part of English history, especially politics.
As early as 1704, Queen Anne granted the estate to John Churchill, 1st Duke on Marlborough, in gratitude for his exceptional service to England during the "War of the Spanish Succession".
There he fought frequently alongside Prince Eugene of Savoy, who represented the interests of Austria. At first he had wanted to serve France, but there he did not want him as a general; it was not impressive enough for him.
Often these estates were then named after - of course won - battles.
So here the Battle of Höchstädt 1704 on the Danube was the inspiration; English "The Battle of Blenheim".
This 1st Duke of Marlborough was married to Queen Anne's friend Sarah Jennings; a real fury, who passed the time quite lively during her consort's absence.
When I think of this Duke of Marlborough, I immediately think of Eugéne Scribe's Theatrical Singspiel, in which he is not quite so "covered in glory" at the end.

But, to get serious and stick to the point:
In 1902, Charles-Spencer Churchill, the 9th Duke on Marlborough, commissioned the Penhaligon's company to create a fragrance for men; it was to be fresh, spicy and worthy of a gentleman.
One had to remember, after all, the Churchills were who (and would later command the political stage more often.)

So Walter Penhaligon decided for an almost timeless Eau de Toilette.
For this, the fresh notes of lemon and basil were mixed with lavender, which gives this first appearance a certain lightness.
Puristic and masculine it should continue: So he chose black pepper, which virtually nestles in the wood of pine and cedar.
A touch of musk covered possibly too sharp fragrance edges and so a timeless fragrance creation was created, which even still Winston Churchill liked to wear.
The fragrance is fresh and very noble in its simple content, so that it also lives up to its name.
Just an eau de toilette with appropriate durability and sillage; very down to earth.
Here shows "British understatement".

This would certainly have been nothing for the 1st Duke of Marlborough, my favorite figure from this family. He would probably have liked it a bit more lush (and not just in scent form.)
Surely he must have known how to entertain himself sideways of the many battlefields.
Not certain one does not know!
But of his wife Sarah one knows exactly that she was not averse to small - and also larger - pleasures, especially at the time she spent at the royal court.

Thus, in Eugène Scribe's musical comedy "The Glass of Water, or Causes and Effects," there occurs the quite delightful scene surrounding this theme of marital fidelity, the climax of which is the statement:

"Now the Duke of Marlborough can hang his laurel wreath on his antlers!"

And with that, I leave this pleasant perfume to the gentlemen who wear it with a certain nobility.
"Gentlemen: I have the honor!"

8 Replies

05/05/2019

7.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

DonJuanDeCat

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DonJuanDeCat

Top Review 11

Smells like a duke

Good evening, everyone! Here I am again and talking about a Penhaligon's fragrance, a brand I like quite a lot and I also like its bottles so much. And although some of you have called me a bottle victim, I have to make it clear that I think the fragrances are beautiful in themselves, and not because they are filled in great bottles... but don't believe me! D

Last year I had described Penhaligon's scents here more and more, and I liked one so much that I got it, too, namely Lothair. "Of course," you'll say now. After all, Lothair also has tea tea tea in it! So what? Shut up, Shut up, I say, hey hey. Okaaay, Lothair actually has black tea in it, and fig leaf as well, so I liked the scent a lot and this was one of the reasons I tried Penhaligon's more back then, so I finally tested more scents of this brand.

So, now that you know my little life story, I can finally come to this fragrance here, which is quite old since it came out in 1902 and was personally composed for Churchill. Of course, Churchill here means Charles Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough (nevertheless, Winston Spencer Churchill, probably much better known, comes from this family). The fragrance name indicates the head office of the family, which resides in Blenheim Palace. And after this little history lesson, I finally come to the scent! :)

The fragrance:

So, one notices right at the beginning that the fragrance has been on the hump for several years, because it smells quite classically of aftershave, oakmoss and lavender, but oakmoss seems to me only so, because it's not really in there and you don't smell it later either. Yet despite its "old-fashioned" aura, the fragrance is a little different from all the other classic fragrances that were made that way at the time. Because apart from the lemons, which give the fragrance its freshness, there is a certain fine spice with pepper. In addition there are pines, which I have hardly noticed at all with this kind of scents, but which come across very nice with their green and woody scents.
Soon one smells above all the lavender particularly intensively, which radiates its tart herbaceous scent quite strongly and which also makes the scent spicy especially with the pepper. And since lavender remains strong for quite a long time, it is also one of the main scents here. Towards the end a little sweet musk is added, but the fragrance doesn't change much more. As I said, it is a nice classic fragrance with woody notes that comes across nice.

The Sillage and the shelf life:

I think the Sillage is good, because the scent rises into the nose every now and then, i.e. as weak as the Sillage was evaluated here, so I don't think it is. The shelf life is okay with seven to eight hours.

The bottle:

As written at the beginning I think the Penhaligon's flacons are very well made. It is a cylindrical bottle with a square label on which elaborate drawings or patterns can be seen. The lid is cylindrical at the bottom and round at the top. In addition, the lid carries a grey silk bow or fly. All in all perhaps not the most beautiful bottle of this brand, but still beautiful in general.

So, this fragrance here smells almost as expected slightly "old-fashioned", as if oakmoss was in it, but this only happens at the beginning. Nevertheless, there is a fragrance in it that was used more often in older times, namely lavender, which also radiates strongly, so that one should also like this fragrance. With the pepper, the fragrance is also spicy, but not heavy, since the lemons make it fresher. This combination turns the fragrance into an all-rounder that could actually be worn at any time of the year, during the day, but also at evening social occasions such as meetings, meals and the like. To party wildly or to rock your head rhythmically to the music at rock or techno open air events or to turn your hair mane (which is unfortunately not so long with me, *sigh*) in a circle, the scent is a bit unsuitable :D

Since the scent is so old, it can be good that you all had a kind of scent like this in your nose hundreds of times now, but I think that this one is simply well done and comes across as high quality, and everyone who likes these "old-fashioned" scents should definitely sniff in here, especially since the scent comes across slightly different due to the beautiful pine notes (which unfortunately are covered a bit too much by the lavender later on).

And with that I am at the end again and wish everyone a nice evening here. See you soon :)

2 Replies

03/27/2019

10
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Nase1

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Nase1

Helpful Review 6

One of the best for me! Where...

The Blenheim Bouquet, a palace of scents with just a few notes.

Dry, harsh starting, not unlike the well-known 4711, only harder, even drier, much more masculine, no trace of sweetness or fruit, rather a lemon like champagne, noble, reduced, perfect. Almost a little cold, but finely underlaid with warming pepper and some musk.

Proof that good can be and remain simple.

Unfortunately, since there is nothing in this world without disadvantage: Unfortunately, the scent makes it unapproachable. He's certainly not a kind little water in himself. Blenheim Bouquet has no heart notes. By the way, there is no clone that is even close to the same, at least not to my knowledge. The cheap Pino Sylvestre has nothing to do with this one.

If you want something similar, not quite so dry, but a little more pleasing, Trumper's Wellington is the place for you.

1 Reply

10/31/2018

8
Scent 7
Longevity 5
Sillage 10
Bottle

Stinki

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Stinki

Less helpful Review 5

much has been said about it,

from Winston Churchill to Andy Warhol, the eerily superior English Upper Class and also orthopaedic stockings and insoles. I can only say one thing about this: if I ever had to duel, it would be the only scent I would wear on this occasion.

1 Reply

09/22/2018

8.5
Scent 6
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

Konsalik

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Konsalik

Top Review 22

The man needs three things: fire, whistling... um: lemon, pine, pepper

I only write more detailed comments for fragrances that I find very good, good or at least "exciting" (impossible word). My time is almost always too precious for me - I'm sure many people here feel that way. A statement for the private campaign against nasal offenders is usually sufficient. And so grandiosely and gloriously failed that he deserved a comment is for me so far only Lagerfeld "Classic". But I'd have to put it on my skin again. No tempting thought.

Be that as it may: In my case there are quite a few "simple" fragrances to be found among these perfumes, which have already been found to be good in a certain sense through a commentary: Two tones, simple chords, but self-contained and exquisitely harmonious. Besides a delight in French charm (the more perfumes I get to know, the greater my admiration for Carons "pour un homme"...), there are of course also English classics on the agenda. On the surface, deeply stacked "functional scents", without the romantic, emotional joy of association of colleagues on the other side of the English Channel. Consciously arranged simply from high-quality components, but with a clear goal in mind: What should the fragrance do for its wearer?

"Blenheim Bouquet" now appears on paper as an archetype of the British scent type - at least if you follow my simplistic confrontation for reasons of illustration. He has no heart. That means no heart note. But indeed, this (formal) "heartlessness" really creates a smooth, professional-friendly, somehow "liveried" scent: The fullness of lemons at the beginning refreshes. And how! Good morning! A sparkling-slashy smack in the face. So direct that our modern nose, which actually only knows lemons and limes in artificially accompanied, sugary-warmed form, can be tempted to the wrong inversion conclusion to have to do it just in the case of Blenheim Bouquet with artificial lemon (hard to put it: cleaning agent). And I also had to readjust my nose in this respect, which is why my review was written many weeks after the purchase, contrary to my habit. There are forms of simplicity that must first be understood.

The result is a moderately balsamic pine and (even more) black pepper. That's it (nothing musk). And basically it almost seems as if these two components are primarily there to prolong the citrus fruits of the start by... imitate? Let me explain: Although the top note should have long since vanished, I still imagine a somewhat shy, but still fresh, crisp lemon after hours. Or a memory of her. Nevertheless (or just because of that) the drydown seems so interesting and unique. As said: Such compact, clear fragrances can hardly be found today.

This fragrance is the old English interpretation of the always popular and yet so rarely stylishly varied freshness theme. "L'Instant de Guerlain" I described in my comment as the fine service provider of the evening. "Blenheim Bouquet" could be seen as a counterpart to the day, and it is quite conceivable that a gentleman who only wants to have two good fragrances in his closet and values a certain courtesy in the matter of olfactory accompaniment, will get through the year well with these two.

5 Replies

07/02/2015

WildGardener
299 Reviews

WildGardener

Conservative cologne

The piquant herbs that add a coarse texture to Blenheim Bouquet are the distinguishing feature that set it apart from an ordinary run of the mill cologne.

As there are no heart notes the evolution of the rigorous herbal-citrus accord is characterised by a gradual mellowing at the edges; its more of a slow decline than any real development.

Pine and moss convey the herbal theme into the drydown where it lasts for an impressively long time over the remnants of lemon scented elemi.

Blenheim Bouquet's linear structure mirrors the aristocratic Edwardian values of stability and continuity, and its character is appropriately formal for a black tie function at the palace.

It remains Penhaligon's best seller.

04/14/2012

8
Scent 5
Longevity 5
Sillage 5
Bottle

Apicius
220 Reviews

Apicius

Very helpful Review 3

English Style and Humour

Blenheim Palace is a well known house in Oxfordshire – nothing petite but a respectable country estate which evaporates a certain grandezza. It is the ancestral seat of the 11th Count of Marlborough who belongs to the higher aristocracy within the English hierarchy. As a fan of the folding bike, of course, Blenheim Palace is known to me, since the annual “Brompton Foldingbike World Championship” takes place there – an event that can really count as typically English. It is a cross county race on tiny Brompton folding bikes that have only 18'' wheels. The participants are asked to dress themselves according to the noble event – cycling shorts and jacket, shirt and tie or bow tie are a must!

But Penhaligon's, rightly or not, adorns itself with borrowed plumes by using the name Blenheim.

Years ago I noticed the mostly positive reviews on Basenotes. Blenheim Bouquet seems to be something like the fragrance reference of this brand. Anything else they do is likely to get compared with Blenheim Bouquet.

Blenheim Bouquet is basically citric. It is a straightforward lemon with only some green and herbal echoes. I suppose, before the aquatics were invented, it was those green citric scents that men would go for instead. By regarding this style as conservative and outdated you would not do justice to Blenheim Bouquet. This style is robust and gripping. It is the sports fragrance for the modern and athletic gentleman of 1902!

The more the lemon fades away and the green notes come forward, the better I like Blenheim Bouquet. But I am not convinced about the fragrance note “pine”. I do not see dark coniferous woods here – like i.e. Acqua di Selva. Musky notes and also some vetiver rather give you the impression of the amiable English landscape park that surrounds Blenheim Palace. I do not understand that vetiver is not part of the known pyramid. After about two hours, I get lots of it.

Blenheim Bouquet may be a fragrance of the past, but also today it would make a good company on a stylish outing in Oxfordshire. Who knows – one or the other participant of the Brompton Foldingbike World Championship may complete his appearance with a few spritzes of Blenheim Bouquet!