Kingdom Scotland logo courtesy of the brand
Shuddering tales of an ancient land
Woven in strands of salt, peat, granite and fire
Even stone cannot cast them, for these tale’s seep into your veins
Igniting the vast landscape in your soul DsF 24
Roland Losslein – Unsplash
I was intrigued by the perfumes in the collection and the history behind Scottish brand Kingdom Scotland based in the beautiful ancient city of Edinburgh. Last May I visited this incredible city for the first time and was completely taken by its stunning architecture, immense history steeped in the traditions of Scotland, modern yet fully anchored in its skin, honed over centuries and witness to all the past. Look beyond the inevitable touristic side and you see a city that takes your breath away with its grandeur and reverence, full of confidence and pride. During my all too brief stay I managed to meet with Imogen Russon-Taylor, founder and owner of Kingdom Scotland over coffee. We could have talked for days and definitely shall in the future, so much commonality and shared passions. We share the connection between perfume and wine/whisky. It was fascinating to hear her story; her background is integral to understanding Kingdom Scotland and the collection. Stephanie Andersen is the perfumer.
Founder Imogen Russon Taylor Kingdom Scotland Stephanie Andersen Perfumer
Imogen is a woman of perpetual curiosity, constantly immersing herself into her areas of interest, academically minded and inquiring in her research, her perfumes arise out of this depth and her deeply held connection to Scotland. Her personal path has been an interwoven legacy, an example of how all the threads of your past can suddenly twine together to forge a strong cord that binds you to your future. With a background of academic excellence in Geology, a love of landforms which involved travel, often risky, then PR within the film industry, followed by taking her passion for fine whisky, (Imogen is considered an expert) and wine, culminating in a WSET Diploma and then beginning academic research into the history of Scottish perfumery. A tangent that was to lead her to the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens which has a rich history of over 350 years, where she began to delve into the myriad Scottish Botanists and Explorers, who travelled the world to discover unique flora. It’s important that her journey to the launch of Kingdom Scotland is known, for this is a woman of complexities and forged passions, attendant to every detail. Kingdom Scotland began in 2018 with an initial collection of 3 in 2019, joined by Kingdom Botanica in 2020. All of the Kingdom Scotland collection have their origins firmly rooted in Scottish landscapes, this is Imogen’s ode to her ancestry. Having lived in the highlands of Scotland for a certain time of my life, I too, have an abiding affection for this country of vast horizons where a certain old magic is bound within the land.
Kingdom Scotland Metamorphic
Kingdom Scotland Metamorphic 2019– certainly an obvious choice for a geologist as the rock forms in Scotland are the some of the most complex in the world with metamorphic rocks forming a large component, it also describes well this perfumes evolution on skin. Also a nod to Imogen’s passion for fine whisky.
Ewan Harvey Unsplash
Metamorphic is a lilting chord bringing past into the present, gliding across the landscape like an incantation, a highland lullaby. Here is wind, that bends trees and stone wetted with time, a sense of elemental movement and immovable ancient tones. Incense lifts in airy quality paired with a softly lingering smokiness of tobacco, lulling us into a timelessness. Present moments dance with the past to the tunes of the forebearers. As changeable as a day on a Highland heathland, Metamorphic has a timbre, akin to the drone of the pipes, keeping a rhythm yet the melody infuses your body and you cannot help but be carried by it.
Duncan McNab Unsplash
Transportive, Metamorphic speaks in a softly lilting dialect of elements lashing grey-hued rocks, of the raw sea sprays in minerality. Beyond this immense nature, out of the mists the sinuous liquid smokiness from peat-fed fires and ambrosial whisky draws me towards hearth and comfort. Raging storms continue, whitewashed walls of rock enclosing the fires of home invite sanctuary. A warmth that seeps through the impenetrable night, richly embroidered with a time-worn leather chair and the resinous scent of glowing woods and candle wax, nothing better than to slip into that fireside chair, warming both externally and internally with that single malt, a dark rose adds that note of sophistication, just enough to temper the edges of the storm, it is refined and classy, a style that traverses time and fashion.
courtesy of the brand
Metamorphic is a fabulous juxtaposition of wild nature and comfort, in an elegant vessel. Here are the raw edged stories laid down in the pleats and veins of mineral pages, whisky’s, peat fires, songs and tales, interleaved with time and tradition. Metamorphic is truly a joy to wear and will stand the test of time. Top: Black Pepper, Tobacco; Heart: Incense, Minerals, Islay Malt & Dark Rose Absolute; Base: Amber Resin & Leather
Kingdom Scotland Portal via the brand
Kingdom Scotland Portal: A sylvan escapade into a primordial Caledonian glen, here is a walk into ancientness, whispering trees divulging all manner of the past to the snow laden winds. The parting of clouds in momentary bursts of sunlit glades. Portal is all nature, undisturbed, as it has always been. Here are knee-deep mossy banks cradling pristine tumbling streams. To pass into these glens of forests that have never known the touch of man is to enter into a profound peace. Vibrantly herbal as you enter, Portal exhales ozonic breath that revives a flagging spirit, as you step into this green and verdant constancy.
Perrin 0’Hagan Unsplash
I have walked in the Caledonian Glens, heather underfoot, privileged to traverse burgeoning drifts of primroses and bursting beech trees in a spring exaltation, a forest where the shed antlers of young deer may be discovered and the cascades of rocky shelved falls hold tumbled treasures in their crevices. Here was the baptismal font for my Highland born, a place close to my heart. Portal is the passage into this unchanged solitude, the soul breathes a sigh of relief, for here is solace and the everyday is silenced, submerged into this wilderness that holds another time in its respiration. Portal rests upon an earthy structure, deeply rooted in peaty folds, of vetiver and oakmoss, mycelium extending outwards in the quickening of life, all is energised here in the layers upon layers of fecundity and decay, beauty in all her natural aspects.
JR Harris Unsplash
Portal immerses us in her cycles, to be washed in wind, waters and trees, awed by the grandeur and relative span of human life in comparison, some things endure; to traverse these places is a life-touching experience, Portal is such a moment of communion. A salve in tumultuous times and the affirmation of nature’s grace in times of human weakness. Top: Herbaceous Botanicals and Bergamot; Heart: Verdant Flora; Base: Vetiver, Bark & Oakmoss
I shall mention briefly, not because there is any preference on my part, as all in the Kingdom Scotland line touches me, the other two in the current collection:
Kingdom Scotland Kingdom Botanica via the brand
Kingdom Scotland Botanica (2020) – A research and collaboration with the Botanical gardens located in the centre of Edinburgh city, to celebrate its 350 years anniversary, a spectacular oasis. This perfume was inspired by the collection and the rich history of Scottish botanist’s and their discoveries. It is an ode to the diversity of flora, a voluptuous immersion into the nature of plants and flowers, it’s a floral bouquet that I delight in, endlessly unfurling like a voyage through the seasons in flowers or a walk through the gardens in Edinburgh, something new to discover around every corner.
Kingdom Scotland Albaura via the brand
Kingdom Scotland Albaura – An exploration and salutation to Scottish artic explorer Isobel Wylie Hutchinson alongside the ancient name for Scotland, this iced edge, herbal composition has a real sense of the beauty of ice on plants, an edgy freshness that takes your breath away, full of pure landscapes and untouched wilderness. There is courage here, the courage of a woman to strike out, a brave step into the hostile landscape, footfalls in virgin snow, the singular courage also of the plants that call this place, ‘home’. Albaura fills you with awe and an awakened perspective.
Danu Seith-Fyr, Contributor
My thanks to Imogen for shared joys, friendship and samples, all words are my own.
Kingdom Scotland Sample Set
Thanks to the generosity of Kingdom Scotland and Imogen Russon-Taylor we have a Discovery Set for one registered reader in the UK and thanks to Danu, one registered reader in the EU. YOU MUST REGISTER OR YOU NOT BE ELIGIBLE. Please leave a comment about what strikes you about Danu’s reviews and where you live. Draw closes 12/3/2024
Michelyn’s Note: Go to KingdomScotland.com and enjoy 15% off all 50 ml bottles BLACKFRIDAY15
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