Fanghorn II
Pineward Perfumes (2021)

When I first discovered Nick's creations, there really weren't any reviews up. I have since sampled quite a few core offerings, a handful of prototypes, and I've purchased several full bottles, and wish to buy many more. I personally feel as though I'm qualified to provide a fairly accurate, unbiased opinion of Pineward, simply because I've been so enamoured with the house since the day I discovered it, and I've spent A LOT of time with them. Every single release, to be exact. It really is my favourite house, bar none.

With that said, I know there are many others who have a deep-rooted obsession with conifers, and the imagery that their aromas evoke (Christmas, mystical forests, mountains, remote wilderness, fantasy, Narnia, Tolkien, etc...). I understand. Pineward is the only perfume house one encountered who seems to have a full grasp on this concept, and is more than capable of delivering those impossible dream perfumes to weirdos like us.

Fanghorn is what I consider to be the "core expression" from Pineward. If you could only sample one offering, and you're in the market for photorealistic natural conifer, this is among the best, if not the very best out there.

NOTHING synthetic here. This is dark, deep, sticky, resinous sappy perfume extract. Pure fir sap. This is the scent of your hands after cutting down a Christmas tree. It also smells like there's a good bit of black hemlock here, but I could be wrong. It isn't pine. It isn't spruce. It isn't cypress. This is fir and hemlock. Sappy, sticky, and sweet, in a resinous for needle way. It's bracingly green, a bit bitter, and mossy, and that's because it's very clear that there's REAL oakmoss in here. Yes. Real oakmoss. Between the oakmoss, and the soil tincture, there's a thread of damp, musty, untouched forest floor. Lichen, conifer needles, and wet soil along a hidden babbling brook, tucked deep within the dense silver fir trees.

If you've ever ventured deep into the untouched depths of the forest, perhaps after the first big snowfall, where the fir trees are draped in their soft white blankets - the boughs gently bending downward and the cold dry air carried that sappy Christmas tree scent through the air - this is that. Could also be seen as the forest in spring, with lush new needle growth, dewy wet ground, and sappy bark, but I prefer the former image.

You know the scene in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, where Lucy is playing hide and seek, and accidentally discovers Narnia through the wardrobe - pushing her way through the fir boughs until she emerges in the magical winter wonderland that is Narnia?

This is that.

Bears *some* resemblance to Norne, sans the spicy clove note, with much more emphasis on fir resin (and not just hemlock), and the sappy magical aroma of conifer forests. Dare I say, this is the superior conifer perfume between the two. Magical stuff. The pinnacle of fir.

Longevity is stout, and heavy spraying will project well, albeit for a short while. Stains skin if sprayed too close. Stains clothes from a mile away. Sticky and sappy feel.

Not a safe blind buy, but if you know what you want, then this will deliver, in spades. A true masterpiece in natural coniferous perfume. 10/10

Do yourself a favour and sample the rest of the Pineward lineup. It may just be the revelation you've so desperately been waiting fir.

Thanks to one of my fragrance mates I own a sample/small decant of Fanghorn II.

This is a true essence of conifer woods - the forest itself is wet and humid, maybe a forest right after the storm. Loads of tree juices and tree resins.

I'm quite sure that fans of old Ralph Lauren's Polo are going to like this, and I'm pretty sure (like 90% sure) that fans of Slumberhouse Norne will like this as well.

It's similar in a way to Norne (however Norne is much denser and thicker); also - Murkwood (which seems to be darker and quite inaccesible in direct comparison) Fanghorn II on the other hand is lighter (in a good way), brighter and easier to wear than Murkwood.

Both sillage and longevity are great.

Conclusion:
If you already own Murkwood you don't need to buy Fanghorn and vice versa.

Sampling Pineward Perfumes Fanghorn II, a pine/fir fragrance with listed notes include silver fir, moss, lichen, pine needles, wet soil, and damp vegetation. It’s woody, dark, resinous, a bit piney and green, and is effective as a standout fragrance in the approaching cooler weather in the northern hemisphere.

Fanghorn II has a reminiscently dirty pine resin vibe that draws comparisons (for me, at least) to Dasein Winter Nights and Slumberhouse Norne, which themselves lean woodier, darker, and dirtier than, say, the more barbecue-leaning smells of La Curie Incendo or Hendley Fume. This is a welcome family, but as with Cotswold, there is a familiarity that makes Fanghorn II a bit less distinct that some of the other entries, but this is a great entry in the line and a great fragrance to offer, as this will fit the bill for some, its dark juice filling a void for some fragrance fans currently out there.

And, in fairness, the standard Pineward pricing of $135/80 for 37/17ml is a bit lower than Slumberhouse’s, albeit higher than most of the other examples. Still, I probably owe Fanghorn II a side-by-side with Norne and Winter Nights to weed out some of the differences, but my conclusion is that Fanghorn II is also a great fragrance, like them, perhaps not quite as potent either but comparable, scent-wise, and worth smelling. I’ve really been pleased with everything in the sample pack so far.

8 out of 10

Fanghorn 2

notes: silver fir, soil tincture, oakmoss and green notes

good projection

forest greenery like wet leaves in the forest, earthy and green but realistic bitterness present.

wet dirt

no frills clean-cut forest green scent
silver fir main player giving that fresh bled tree sap smell not sweet

OAK MOSS actual oakmoss adds the bitter greenness of the forest

The forest after a spring shower

9/10 Great and worth buying not a masterpiece however (projection, silage and longevity hold no bearing on point score)

3 words: Damp, Dirt, Leaves


Edit that on re sniff it clicked more so then before 10/10