Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Post by Tina G

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A nice surprise decant from a friend! An intriguing scent – I’d not come across Miller Harris as yet, and I couldn’t begin to think of what Geranium Bourbon entailed. Was it a boozy scent? Did it really have geranium? And how did those two things work together? After a bit of research I discovered that geranium bourbon was actually a particular type of geranium. OK, sure, let’s give this a run through….

Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

Geranium Bourbon Miller Harris FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palmarosa, cassis, geranium
Heart: Violet, rose, black pepper
Base: Vanilla, amber, patchouli

Geranium Bourbon opens with a watery pink rose, like rain which has been cupped in a heart of a bloom and then poured across my skin. It is so refreshing and light, really wonderful. After about 10 minutes there is a peppery scent which comes through along with a lemon ‘juice’ accord. I’ve never smelt geranium bourbon plants themselves, but fresh geraniums definitely have that peppery/lemony background to their leaves. The scent deepens throughout the first half hour, gradually becoming more earthy and green.

I enjoy the dry down of Geranium Bourbon as it transitions from fresh & light, to earthy, and then some amber & smoky notes come through with a trace of vanilla in the basenotes. And then this becomes for me one of those scents which triggers some strong visual imagery – I hope you don’t mind if I indulge in the story it wove for me:

Geranium Bourbon Miller Harris spring PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Sitting on the cold, wet white wood of the outside furniture & wrapped up in a blanket stolen from near the inside fire, I sit watching the drips of water fall from the plants in the luscious English summer garden. The storm shower passed through quick and heavy though there is no sign of sunlight yet through the grey sky. The trellis behind me is thick with a blooming tea rose vine, the myriad of simple pink flowers releasing a pervasive but delicate fragrance into the now-still air. The earth in the flower bed has been turned recently and is damp and rich.

Geranium Bourbon Miller Harris Angeleyes_Randy WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

The bedded violet and geranium plants have been beaten by the heavy rain. There is a lemony-rose scent from the geranium flowers, mixed in with a tart herbal pepperiness from the succulent leaves. For a while I sit in the coolness just watching, listening, and breathing, until the damp starts to seep in. Snuggling down into the blanket further I can smell the sweet smoke from the lounge room hearth embedded in its fibres. From somewhere inside the house, a tendril of sweet vanilla from something delicious baking is enough to rouse me from quiet contemplation and head inside to the warmth.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and I Smell Therefore I Am
Perfumery Australia has $110/100ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $4/ml

What about you? Have you tried Geranium Bourbon? Any of the Miller Harris range? What did you think?

Wishing you all a lovely week.
Tina G

16 thoughts on “Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005”

    • Hi Michael, thank you! I agree, Miller Harris really isn’t on the radar. I’m interested to explore further, particuarly as this one had such strength in it’s fragility, nothing wishy-washy about the gentleness of that opening rose note. Very enjoyable.
      Tina x

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  2. Hi there!

    Great review. I love Miller Harris- they are guaranteed great quality scents. I love some more than others, but that’s down to personal preference rather than any fault of theirs. I haven’t tried Geranium Bourbon, but your review has made me want to! You might also like their Rose en Noir which has some notes in common with this by the sound of it.

    best wishes
    Sam
    IScentYouADay

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    • Hi Sam, I’ll definitely put Rose en Noir on the list! That’s great, & I look forward to trying a few more of their range. Glad you enjoyed the review, thank you!
      Tina x

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  3. indulge you?! i feel QUITE indulged myself!! i know describing the structure or pyramid of a perfume is important, but it’s these landscapes we go to in our heads which really speak of what a perfume DOES, not just SMELLS LIKE.

    beautiful Tina! thank you!

    i have not tried any of the Miller Harris scents, but geranium (and the especially lovely Bourbon (you can just replace “Bourbon” with “Madagascar”… and if you find a penguin- let me know!!) is one of my favorite aromas.

    cheers!

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    • Hi einsof, I love stories, and these times where perfume paints a picture for me are precious. It doesn’t happen with every scent if course but it so much fun when particular notes or combinations create these landscapes. So, thank you!

      Penguins!! Hahaha! 🙂 Since trying Geranium Bourbon I’ve been keeping an eye out for geranium in fragrances, and also making a bee-line to any plants I happen to see to give them a sniff. Had no idea there was such a variety…
      Tina x

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  4. Great review Tina! I really like this one – it has a beautiful rose facet to it that feels very natural and not overworked in any way. That said, the last time I wore it, I had a bee buzzing around me at a tram stop for about 5 minutes, so maybe it’s a bit too natural?

    I really like hearing that you got some earthiness from it though – didn’t notice it on me – my experience of the dry-down brought out the sweet side a bit – but will have to give it another go and watch out for it. Probably will do it indoors though where there aren’t any interested bees about.

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    • Hi Yin – Bees! Ah! Yes perhaps a bit too natural…! 🙂 Might have been the patchouli giving it a bit of earthiness, but the amber & vanilla are quite lovely in dry down – nice to get that warmth after the fresh opening.
      Tina x

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  6. What a great article. I must admit that I haven’t tried any of the Miller Harris line yet, though I’ve been wanting to try. Now you convinced me to! It’s really beautifully written. Thank you. 🙂

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    • Hi Thinkingmagpie – Thank you! I’m also encouraged to explore this line further. This one was a lovely place to start. 🙂

      Tina x

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  7. Hey there Princess,
    Great review, as always.
    I tried Geranium Bourbon way back in the early days of the blog and loved it but couldn’t get it in Oz at the time, then completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.
    Portia xx

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