“The La Montaña Discovery Set gives you the opportunity to try all our fragrances in room mist form, so that you’ll know exactly how your candle or reed diffuser will perfume your home. 9 x 2.5ml sprays in a cute wallet. Sustainable, plant-derived, biodegradable, low carbon footprint, and non-toxic to humans or the environment. Spray them onto the blotters provided, or spritz them into the air, wait a couple of seconds and step into the mist. We use them in our car; to mask pet smells; cooking smells; on Mr Montaña’s sports clothes….”
‘Scents of Spain’
Soon these will be officially approved as EDT’s so I thought it seemed like an interested collection to peruse and give you some thoughts on these nine scents. My guess is these may not have a large content of essential oil as they are light and airy, more like an Eau Fraiche or aftershave splash. These all emulate the fragrances in their candle collection and are presented in a colorful design and convenient package hosts the following fragrances:
First Light: This one has some of my favorite things: fennel, bergamot, rosemary, mountain pepper, and rockrose. That upbeat pop of fennel is what stands out, a bit like clove here actually. It’s clean and fresh and livens things up a bit – I’d say this is something of an updated sache, with a bit of a reminiscent feel of spice drops with undertones of cistus. Nice.
Alfredo’s Café: The notes here are: coffee, brandy, and black tobacco, laced with leather and incense. I do get the lingering boozy accord with a bit of incense, nothing too smoky at all. This reminds me of a semisweet dark taffy with a peppery quality. I’m also reminded of an old fashioned cafe with broken-in leather booths.
Galán de Noche: Enriched with jasmine, with tantalising hints of rose, orange blossom, and ylang ylang the florals may take you to a secret garden. The blossom comes through with a slight delay, and in the background I get a waft of either hyacinth or a tinge of honeysuckle. This is brighter than the previous two but has an air freshener quality rather than a wearable. Great for the office.
Cloudburst: Here we have a fragrance that contains: bergamot, lavender, basil, lemon and lime, and ozonic notes, along with the beguiling scent of wild mountain fennel and rockrose. So subtle but they have a winner on their hands with this gentle mix of herbaceous spice. It’s fully dry but gives you the impression of being in the open air. I can easily imagine this as an EDT actually. The rockrose and fennel are spot-on.
Winter Oranges: A blend of Valencia orange, cinnamon, red apple, and clove. The feels of the colder months with the spiced up zing of a generous splash of genuine orange. Bright and warm (thanks to the nice cinnamon note) at the same time, a tough combination to pull off realistically. As this warms it becomes something tea-like. Pekoe with a slice of mandarine anyone? In the dry down it clearly emulates a wax candle.
Three Kings: This has an incense focus with frankincense, myrrh and cedarwood, with trampled pine needles, traditional turrón (almond nougat) and a spot of brandy. This is the one I was most excited about though the incense is more secondary to the pine which sticks to the sticky nougat concoction which I very much like as a note here, and it the most Spanish of the batch for sure. There are woody tones but this is not overly resinous, though I wish it were. Still this has a nice whisper of coolness.
Fig Grove: The notes bestowed in this composition include ripe fig trees, and a nearby cascade of wild jasmine. If this were a touch stronger it would be a knockout. This includes, as advertised, the fig and jasmine, but rises up incredibly transparently. There’s also a green note, likely showcasing a ripe green fig. It’s got something to say, but in hushed tones.
Sacred Roses: This has all the blush of rich roses and dark cloisters, velvety Damask rose, blended with narcissus, geranium and chamomile. Of all the samples here this is most robust and ‘real’ in terms of accord. You definitely get the particular stem, and a shadowy backdrop. However there is also a faint oily essence, and do not expect this to last too long, maybe forty-five minutes max. It’s pleasant.
Siesta: Get your campsite hammock ready for lavender, juniper, and thyme. Ah, siesta, I remember it well from my trip to Barcelona in the early Oughts, between tapas and strange, fascinating architecture. This may be the best of the batch as it balances warm and cool spirits so well. The lavender is palpable, though the juniper doesn’t go where I would ordinarily expect, it’s like an icy blast. There’s something slightly minty here like a fancy mixologist, yet virgin, cocktail.
| House | La Montaña |
| Origin | UK |
| Fragrance | La Montaña Discovery Set |
| Founders | Cass and Jonathan Hall |
| Concentration | Room Sprays / Home Fragrance (soon to be EDTs) |
| Season | Varies |
| Size/Cost | 9×2.5ml / $35 |
| Source | La Montaña |
| Rating | 82% |
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