Penhaligon's Aftershave & Men's Fragrance

Penhaligon's is one of the oldest perfume houses still in operation, having opened its doors in 1870. This quintessentially British brand still makes some of their original tired-and-tested offerings but has also stayed relevant with new scents that keep pushing the envelope. The company was started by William Penhaligon, an inspired hairdresser and perfumer born in 1837. Penhaligon was as imaginative as he was ambitious and his innovative perfumes really made a mark on his contemporaries. In 1902 he created one of the brand's best-sellers when he finished work on Blenheim Bouqet – a striking scent with citrus and spices. The fragrance was created for the 7th of Duke of Marlbourough, Winston Churchills grandfather and named after his monumental country house; Blenheim Palace. The scent is still sold today. The following year Penhaligon's were given a Royal Warrant as their products were quite popular in the royal household. Founder William Penhaligon passed away during this time but his business was kept alive.

After the shop was destroyed during the London Blitz in the 1940's Penhaligon's kept on selling some of their goods elsewhere but it wasn't until 1975 that the brand was resurrected properly and with the opening of a grandiose store in Covent Garden the modern version of the brand with traditional and newer influences side by side was born. Since then Penhaligon's have opened quirky boutiques on several continents and continue to be regarded as one of the best British perfum houses.

While Penhaligon's have many scents that go just as nice on both men and women there are some mainly intended for gentlemen. Hammam Bouqet (1872) is a woody oriental scent created by William Penhaligon himself and inspired by the exotic scents of the Turkish bathhouse near his shop, using lime, lavender and rose on a wood base. Endymion Cologne (2003) is a mysteriously aromatic spicy with bergamot, coffee, leather, black pepper, incense, musk and olibanum. Sartorial (2010) bottles the scents of a tailor's workshop with notes of steam, beeswax, fresh ginger, leather and metal. Blasted Heath (2015) aims to capture the wind-torn British coast with acquatic notes of sea, whiskey and seaweed on a base of wood and musk.