Anatomy of a Scent: Athenaeum

Welcome to Anatomy of a Scent, a series where in-house master perfumer Euan McCall dissects much-loved scents from our collection of unique Scottish fragrances to reveal their inner workings. This time we're looking at Athenaeum Eau de Parfum, a quiet, contemplative lavender and patchouli perfume with inky, papery facets.

Impression

Scottish Lavender, Beeswax*, Fennel, Apple, Honey.

Fade

Neroli oil, Hyacinth, Flouve, Patchouli, Morocco Leather*, Gurjun Balsam, Oak, Ink.

Calone® + Lavender + Cardamom = Wet Ink 

Ink is an aromatically intriguing substance and recreating its profile can be achieved in a myriad of ways. It’s really down to the perfumer's sensibilities, creativity and how they wish for the sensation to be perceived. I could have approached Athenaeum's ink perfume note in hundreds of ways, but decided to use lavender oil as the central material and set about augmenting it.

The result is a wet ink profile, slowly air-drying on parchment. It becomes less about ink and more the degradation of pulp and leather. I wanted to recreate the experience of walking into the National Libary of Scotland – centuries old manuscripts coexisting alongside day old prints. The old world harmoniously meeting the present day. 

When we think of wet or oceanic materials it doesn’t take long before the mind wanders to Calone®. Calone® is impressive stuff – there's an ocean of wonderment within every minuscule Calone® crystal. Watermelon, algae, marine, seaside, chlorine, saline and in my humble opinion, shades of sumi ink.

So, when creating the ink impression for Athenaeum, a smart use of Calone® was very much needed. The marriage of lavender and Calone® is well depended upon by perfumers and features in literally hundreds of blockbuster fragrances. I didn’t use this duo for the same reasons. In fact, initial modifications of Athenaeum relied on a combo of lavender oil and Adoxal®, however the result was too functional. Calone® pushed the raspiness of lavender oil adding a copper-like tang resembling fresh ink.

We use a lot of cardamom in Jorum Studio fragrances, but rarely for its characteristic cardamom character in the first instance. In Athenaeum the cardamom gives lift and added natural complexity to the Calone® x lavender combo, adding savoury sweetness while softening the initial impression but not perfuming the opening too much. This allows the inky texture enough time to smoothly transition from the fleeting and unavoidably industrial, to the organic.

Neroli oil + PADMA + Orivone® = Crepuscular Pulp 

Neroli oil is a singular material that perfectly conveys sunbeams. The central theme of Athenaeum pivots around Tunisian neroli oil, used for its spectacular radiance and beauty. Perhaps I’m alone in this, but I find rooms filled with print and pulp produce an unintentional Eau de Cologne bouquet and I think neroli oil possesses an inherent Eau de Cologne profile within its DNA. Neroli oil may not be the first choice for a bookish fragrance theme but once you experience Athenaeum you will accept that it’s the right choice!  

Phenyl acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal – or PADMA for short – is one of those indispensable materials that upon immediate assessment you would be wrong to assume its usage should be limited to floral profile exclusively. There is a wonderful mushroom-y quality that adds realism to many naturally inclined sensations; if you need to add naturalness to an accord, try some PADMA.

Many comment that PADMA is pretty disagreeable; think rubbery hyacinth stalks, plant bulbs or sticky spring onion juice, not immediately enticing but the solar glow that PADMA can bring to certain profiles is matched by few others. From the first whiff of PADMA I have been mildly obsessed. It is very easily overlooked as a simple building block or accessory material. There is a particular botanical effervescence initially that recalls elderflower cordial and Sauvignon blanc. It is this characteristic that I find makes PADMA super versatile – it creates a pollen fizziness that leans towards the fermented and in my opinion, this phenomenon contributes towards this 'living aroma' profile leading to superb versatility. Broadly speaking I find acetals and esters possess this naturally fermented/fermenting sparkly quality and as such are truly indispensable. 

Paper is another intriguing target profile, and there are infinite ways to create a papery profile. Orivone® possesses a putty-like facet of orris and depending on what else is in the mix, can be exploited to produce an interesting and original paper and pulp note. Furthermore, I find that Orivone® has a dry out that is similar to paper as it degrades over time. On the more functional side of the equation, Orivone® helps bridge the pulpy quality to the aged leathery fade of Athenaeum. 

When combined with the patchouli-dominant fade, this luminous trio creates an effect that is akin to observing free-falling particles of dust being pricked by crepuscular sunbeams as they ray from cupolas above. Aged dust and a timeline of degrading pulp and ink. At least, that was the idea!  

Patchouli + Gurjun Balsam + Dimethyl Hydroquinone = Dusty Vellum 

The most important material in Athenaeum is undoubtedly patchouli oil. We use a molecularly distilled source which strips out a lot of the funky notes, and the resulting extract presents a true and characteristic patchouli fragrance profile that’s clean and produces pleasant effects when used in super high concentrations as we find here. The other benefit from using such a clean source of patchouli is how malleable it becomes – we can accessorise with great ease and with arguably greater net results.

Using such a clean patchouli oil admittedly required adding a little grit back into the mix in a measured and controlled manner. I have always enjoyed the combination of Gurjun balsam and patchouli oil. Gurjun balsam provides a lovely polished effect on the impact, acting a bit like varnish or epoxy where it adds sheen and lustre but also seals, allowing the patchouli note to develop. 

Reinforcing this dusty and waxy sensation is dimethyl hydroquinone, a widely misunderstood material of great importance (but perhaps of limited use?). A more aggressive, assertive and altogether more difficult material to use if compared with other hay or tonka-like materials such as coumarin or octahydrocoumarin. Dimethyl hydroquinone is rich and intense with bags of character and its own swagger. Using tiny touches can positively alter the entire trajectory of a perfume and greater amounts can create joy or disaster. What I love about dimethyl hydroquinone is its adhesive quality; it binds whilst improving fixation, and in my mind it’s like syrupy caramelised glue made from hay – a Maillard treat for cows and perfumers alike! 

As autumn begins to rear its head you’ll be sure to find me reaching for Athenaeum. Given the high percentage of patchouli oil within, Athenaeum loves heavier fabrics and woollens, creating a snuggly enlightened aura.