Eldritch
Pineward Perfumes (2021)

Smells a bit like Durbano's Black Tourmaline mixed with Lutens' Serge Noire and Slumberhouse Jeke. There are some tobacco nuances here and there so Slumberhouse Jeke lovers should be happy. I detect also some kind of burnt leaves smoke, camphor and naphtalene. This is not a nice perfume - on their website they named it "challenging" and I have to fully agree with that statement. I do not recommend buying a bottle of Eldritch blind.

The other latest US release from Pineward Perfumes, Eldritch, is among the most provocative and intense of the line, involving (like most of the line) pine and fir, but also leather, myrrh, patchouli, oolong tea, opoponax, smoke, and oakmoss. It’s dark, spicy, a bit animalic, slightly herbal, and almost a bit savory,

It definitely feels like pine/fir/spruce-focused than most of the line, a bit of a pleasantly Slumberhouse/Hendley-esque deviation into the dark and spicy that provides some of the resinous, campfire vibes of repeat-mentions Norne and Fume, respectively, so Eldritch should prove an interesting try for those familiar with those fragrances in particular.

Overall, it leans toward the animalic and spicy more so than resinous and smoky, and it’s a little bit less my cup of tea than some of its contemporaries, but like all things Pineward, it’s a pleasure to try and I’d recommend fashioning a sample, especially with the weather cooling down in the northern hemisphere.

Pricing for Eldritch is the standard $135/80 for 37/17ml for the line, and it is compounded at 33%, very high, like most of the line (around or just above 30%, generally).

7 out of 10