Wales Perfumery: The Celts by Louise Smith

“an olfactory journey through the ancient Celtic world, celebrating the tribes who shaped the identity of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, and Brittany. Each fragrance in this collection tells the story of a distinct Celtic people; their landscapes, their customs, their spirit.”

-a note from the brand

Being Welsh, and a perfume blogger, it was just a matter of time before my path crossed with founder and perfumer Louise Smith of Wales Perfumery. I’ve been a regular guest over the years at Wales Perfumery HQ near Monmouth (now referred to as Lake Monmouth due to recent catastrophic floods). I was therefore thrilled to receive my invitation to the launch of Louise’s new collection The Celts.

As far as venues go, I can’t think of a better or more appropriate one than Cardiff Castle. On a winter night, it was lit by Narnia lamps and the buzz of the city centre could be heard in the distance.  Through gothic doorways and flights of stone steps. I half expected Claudia Winkelman to announce my next task in true BBC Traitors style.

I arrived at a reception full of perfume lovers, prosecco and canapés, already thinking, “this is my kind of night”. After a fragrant mingle, meeting several fellow fragrance lovers I had only previously encountered online, we were invited in to take our seats in a beautifully decorated, barrel vaulted room. The fragrances were the stars of the show, as well as Louise’s son, who gave a wonderful talk about the history of the Celts. One by one, we were handed sniffing strips of each scent, with a brief background from Louise. Afterwards, we were free to liberally spray and sniff, with a discovery set to go home with.

Here’s what I thought of them (and bear in mind, I too, am a Celt)

Iverni

Inspired by the ancient tribes of Ireland, Iverni astonishes with its accord of ice. So realistic is it, that you half expect your skin to get colder as you wear it. Louise checked the authenticity of the ice scent on her former ice hockey player husband, who assured her, that yes, she had bottled the scent of ice.

Team this with old castle walls, acres of frosty sky, and the hot metal that once forged weapons, and you have unique and exciting fragrance that is as beautiful as it is original. I was fascinated by Iverni and had decided it was my favourite, until a few fragrances later…

Cornovii

Celebrating ancient Cornwall and its sea faring trade, Cornovii sparkles with astringent pomelo (like a bitter grapefruit, but terrific in fragrance), lemon,  a spa water accord, olives, bay leaf and brooding frankincense. Cornovii has a fascinating feel of the ancient with frankincense evoking crackling fires within mysterious cold stone walls. The citrus suggests the sunshine and orchards of faraway merchants and ancient trade routes on the glittering seas of warmer climes. 

Silures

From the many school projects I did on the Romans (I’m near the Caerleon amphitheatre here) I always thought this was pronounced Sy-LOO-reez, but I heard several different pronunciations at the launch. Seeing as there were no surviving Silureans there, I guess we can invent our own.

Silures honours the “raw spirit of a Welsh tribe”, and invites your imagination to sit around a crackling fire eating food foraged from nearby. Yes, they were eating organic, long before we had even thought it! The osmanthus note adds a peachy touch of sophistication (think apricot blossom made from suede). Silures is the most gourmand of the Celts, but even a gourmand dodger like myself fell hard for the seamless combination of blackberry, vanilla, osmanthus and oak. Silures can be worn to tell stories around a fire on a winter night, or curled up watching Netflix. It works well in any scenario and I love it. Just add  a hot drink and fluffy socks, or cow hide sandals and a big shield .

Votadini

“Earthy, seductive and untamed” is how the brand describes Votadini, and it’s a perfect description. Votadini reminds me of heavy red velvet curtains and  earthenware. This was inspired by findings in Edinburgh, which revealed wine goblets, jugs and roundhouse settlements.  There’s a distinctive wine accord, but it won’t make you smell like wine if you wear it to work. The base of patchouli, hay and leather anchors the ancient earthenware and berries into a dark, woody landscape. There’s no oud here, but if like oud, you will probably like Votadini. Louise has somehow captured a hint of a crackling fire and cosy wood smoke too. Rich, opulent and darkly addictive, Votadini may result in adventure. For me, it was love at first sniff.

Celt

We arrive at the mothership. Celt is eau de parfum strength and makes an immediate impact. This is truly something special, a stand out in the world of perfumery. Capturing the spirit of ancient Brittany, Celt is a seamless blend of mead and tobacco absolute, and so much more. With a “standing stone” accord and a “textile” accord, this brings primitive rituals into the twenty first century. Evoking ancient, damp stone, a gourmand touch of boozy honey (not too much, just a nuance) and the earthy, woodiness of tobacco, (which never smells like cigarette smoke in fragrance; it’s more of a dark autumnal hay). Celt opens with a soprano note of tangy fruit, before the arrival settles into a welcoming, almost spicy sweet comfort blanket. You can easily imagine rough woven cloaks, mead, a crackling fire and an inky black night sky. Celt reigns over the collection like a warrior Queen.

Celt fact fans may already know that many aspects of language also united Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Certain Breton, Cornish and Welsh words still bear similarities. The Welsh word for church is eglys, whereas the French word is église, surprisingly similar when spoken aloud. Also in Welsh, window is fenester and in French, fenêtre. See table below for more. Manx is the language of the Isle of Man, for those unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the UK’s many islands. At certain points of the Isle of Man, it is said that you can see Wales, Scotland and Ireland at the same time.

Verdict

The Celts is a landmark collection of innovation that deserves every accolade. Perfumer Louise Smith goes from strength to strength, and I love that she uses the history beneath her feet to inspire her. I loved all of these fragrances, but if I had to choose a favourite, it would be Votadini, with Iverni in a very close photo finish.

With a highly original combination of accords and a whimsical flourish of imagination and solid research, the Celts tread ground both old and new. Besides being evocative of scenes long gone, these are also irresistibly wearable in the Twenty First century. Da iawn, Louise. Llongyfarchiadau!

Where to buy them

You can by all of these fragrance from the Wales Perfumery website. I applaud the fact that travel sizes are affordable, making these fragrances egalitarian rather than elite. You can wear niche without paying three figures for it. Don’t buy all the Votadini, because I want it.

Disclosure

I was kindly invited to the launch of this collection by founder Louise Smith. My opinion of the fragrances and my decision to review them are entirely my own.