The icy brush of herbs in the opening of Absinthe Boréale sends a pleasurable shiver down one’s spine, painting a watercolor of a pale Northern European sun illuminating the lacy stalks of lavender, rosemary, and artemisia that have been caught in the first frost of the season. Silvery mint, oakmoss, and eucalyptus thrum from the background, keeping the real star of this scent – lavender – on ice. Indeed, Absinthe Boréale smells like you imagine it might taste. Part cocktail, part Medieval elixir, full of strange herbs and aromatics that are familiar individually but exotic when combined.
But this icy fougère has a warmth and depth in the base that takes us into more familiar territory. It’s worth noting, however, that Absinthe Boréale never strays into the tonka sweetness of most modern fougères. Though not listed, we smell some polished woods and balsams drifting up from the base - warm materials capable of counter-weighting the more volatile notes of the herbs and aromatics up top, but not sweet enough to drown the essential herbs-on-ice feel of this wonderful fougère. If you love Boy (Chanel) but want something more ethereal, transparent, and authentically herbaceous, then we can’t recommend Absinthe Boréale enough.
