Behind the Scent: No. 0324 Aging Spirits

Like each of the fragrances in Aerangis’ Signature Collection, No. 0324 Aging Spirits was inspired by my life’s journey and experiences, with this one capturing the “sense of place” of a destination particularly meaningful to us — New Orleans.

We travel to the Crescent City a few times a year. It’s magical to us in that it is so full of life; the French Quarter, and its hip surrounding areas, seem to offer a never-ending explosion of culture, music, interesting people with an “anything goes” vibe, and, of course, unmatched cuisine and innovative cocktails. The delicious smell of Cajun cooking, mingling with the aroma of whiskey and other fine spirits, is as ubiquitous as the music and strangers toasting whatever the reason du jour seems to be at that moment. The feelings of freedom, non-stop celebration, sensational gastronomy, and dare we say even hedonism, that New Orleans invokes is what we fell in love with.

And so New Orleans was the only venue we considered for our “wedding,” which occurred on March 24, 2018. I use quotes because the event was a bit untraditional; while meaningful words were exchanged, there was no ceremony per se, and what was lacking in convention was made up by the celebration of all celebrations – which included a police-escorted parade through the streets of the French Quarter – to honor what we termed, “our kind of commitment.”

To commemorate the event and memorialize a scent that would allow our closest friends and family, and ourselves, to recall the experience through scent memory, we worked carefully with our perfumer to develop a fragrance that could conjure up those quintessential elements of New Orleans. We chose notes like star anise, warm spices, and toasted oak. The star anise, which contains notes of licorice, is inspired by Absinthe—a once-forbidden drink served by dripping ice water from a fountain over sugar and into a glass containing the potent liquor. This addition of water releases the oils from the distilled wormwood, bringing forth a black licorice fragrance. The spice notes are drawn from the unmistakably rich and vibrant scent of Creole cooking. And the toasted oak is reminiscent of both the oak imparted by the barrels when aging Bourbon, a common ingredient in the city’s famous cocktail scene, and the mesmerizing scent known as the “Angel’s Share”—the portion of whiskey that evaporates from the barrel during aging, imparting an aroma truly fit for the heavens.

The number for this scent – 0324 – represents the date of our celebration. And the name is significant for a few reasons. First, Aging Spirits is meant to represent us: two kindred spirits who found each other and made a commitment to grow old together. Second, it embodies the essence of one of our favorite alcoholic spirits, Bourbon, and the inherent aging process in an oak barrel raw whiskey must take to fully mature. And lastly, as a nod to the other type of “spirits” rumored to be found within New Orleans: those that haunt the city! 

And now No. 0324 Aging Spirits is available to you. Lighting this candle brings us back to New Orleans and that magical day celebrating with our loved ones. Our friends who were there have told us the same! And while this scent was inspired by my own personal memories, it may also call to anyone who has experienced authentic New Orleans, or, perhaps, wants to someday.

It’s a perfect example of how you too can use our Bespoke services to transform your own personal memory into a luxurious scent. From the exclusive number, the hand-picked name, and each individual scent note, every single detail of your most trusted memory can be transformed into a high-quality fragrance and candle.