From Barrel to Fragrance: Imogen Russon on Scottish Perfumery & Whisky Heritage

Many parallels are often drawn between tasting and fragrance each boasting a rich heritage, craft, and expertise.

Imogen Russon Taylor, founder of Kingdom Scotland, has been pioneering the many invisible strings connecting Scottish whisky and fragrance through various patronage programmes to support and events to make scent and taste education accessible.

Join us as we uncover the aromatic connections of these two industries!

With over 20 years of experience in the whisky industry, what parallels do you see between whisky and fragrance making?

There are so many, from the hunt for the finest ingredients, refined distillation processes, to non-chill filtering – but the most powerful parallel for me is the aromatic reveal.

Whisky masterfully delivers a ‘sense-of- place’ in the nose and taste profile, and I set out to create this aromatic magic in the Kingdom Scotland scents.

How did your experience in the whisky industry lead you to launch Kingdom Scotland?

Spending nearly 20 years in the world of fine wines and spirits developed my olfactory skills and language. Smell is thought to be 80% responsible for taste, so it is an incredibly important part of experiencing a fine spirit.

The language we use in drinks is slightly different from the realm of perfumery, but there are many crossovers. For example, if you look at a whisky flavour/nosing wheel compared to that of a perfumery note wheel – showing the classic fragrance families – you will see an incredible amount of crossover. While in the whisky world, I tasked the UK Vogue beauty and fragrance editor at the time, Anna-Marie Solowij, to have a Master nosing and tasting session with our Director of Whisky Creation.

She then wrote the most incredible nosing and tasting notes that we used across the world. I am so grateful for this as it really inspired me.

After working at LVMH, I decided to launch myself into the world of entrepreneurialism in perfume and develop Scotland’s First Niche Fragrance House.

Which scent profiles and fragrance creation possibilities does whisky introduce to perfumery?

Whisky reveals the complexity of the notes that many of us in the perfume industry work with every day.

Classic notes such as vanilla, honey, ginger, dried fruits, citrus, and smoky notes are all regularly detected in whiskies – and the woods!

They say 80% of the nose and taste in whisky is influenced by wood – the barrel the whisky is matured in, so wood notes are hugely prevalent in the world of whisky. Wood notes such as sandalwood, cedar, birch, amber resins, even oud, are notes I detect in a fine whisky reveal.

Can you tell us more about how whisky and various malts appear and inspire the range of Kingdom Scotland fragrances?

The whisky notes are most notable in Kingdom’s Metamorphic fragrance, embodying storytelling in a scent – the story of the creation of Metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rock is woven through the spectacular landscape of Scotland, and Scotland has the most complex geology in the world. Metamorphic rock is the most complex, created under intense heat and pressure. This fragrance is smouldering and spicy, with a big dose of black pepper and spices in its opening. It then reveals what can be described as an Islay peated malt heart, with earth, peat, minerals, tobacco, and charred woods. Metamorphic rock is very prevalent on the West Coast of Scotland, and you can even find boulders of it on the beaches of the West Coast islands – for example, Lewis, Harris, and Islay. Islay is the home of the peated malt whisky, and I felt like I had to create an ode to my love for such rich history in our scent.

Some people describe it as experiencing a ‘fine malt by the fire in an ancient stone castle’. This is such an evocative and addictive perfume, and many visitors to Scotland buy this as a memory to cherish from their travels. There is also an interesting nod to whisky within our travels.

There is also an interesting nod to whisky within our Portal fragrance, inspired by a Caledonian forest in spring. It is herbaceous, verdant, and has a beautiful woody reveal. The heart of the fragrance interestingly has a ‘new make spirit’ accord. This is estery and verdant, yet delicately floral.
New Make Spirit is the clear high-proof alcoholic liquid that comes off the still during spirit production. It characteristically has an ester-like quality, green apples, hard pears, and often a light floral aspect, offering an innovative and interesting addition to the scent for those ‘in the know’ in the drinks world.

How do you believe your trained nose and palate in in the whisky industry merge to enhance scent creation and fragrance evaluation?

My nose was trained in the drinks industry – first with wine and then fine spirits. A blending course with Master Distiller Colin Scott was my introduction to the production of whisky and the powerful smells associated with the malting and fermentation processes.

I also learnt that the selection of barrels have a strong impact on the resulting nose and taste of a whisky. Getting then selected for the evaluation and tasting panels of several companies, I was introduced to the whisky nose and flavour wheel and how to detect classic notes in whisky such as vanilla, citrus, florals, nuttiness, caramel, honey, rich dried fruits, spices, and a whole array of woods.

I also learnt about the scent memories that whisky can evoke – Christmas, lounging by a fire, cake baking and patisserie, salty seas, and even industrial oily notes! Whisky has a very strong sense of place – and the creativity of nose reveal was instilled in me from working with companies such as the SMWS – Scotch Malt Whisky Society – whose infamous creative nosing and tasting notes are enjoyed by a global audience.

The experience was great training for the fragrance industry and an innovative way to start telling stories in perfumery.

How can an education and expertise in whisky tasting complement fragrance education for fragrance or whisky enthusiasts?

The whole world of whisky and its production process is great training ground for perfumery.

For example, being open-minded about my unique olfactory experiences and my scent memories was a good solid starting place to build on and learn about specific ingredients and notes in the perfume industry.

As a member of OurWhisky Foundation, how do you think women leading the way in both the whisky and fragrance industries?

It has long been understood in the drinks industry that women have an edge with their olfactory skills, and prestigious distilleries of world renown such as The Macallan and Glenmorangie now have female master distillers creating their whisky.

It is fantastic that more and more women are entering and excelling within the whisky industry. Being part of the OurWhisky foundation and their mentoring programme has been a great support. I have also met such interesting and passionate women from all over the world.

Just like in fragrance, women in whisky have been leading both industries through championing communities where we can share experiences, ideas, opportunities, events, and support each other in our wide and varied journeys.

How do you envision these industries merging and collaborating with each other in the future?

The parallels between these industries are increasingly being recognised, and Kingdom Scotland is occupying a very unique place on the map, but there are many brands that find inspiration in the world of fine wine and spirits. I would love to see more collaboration and connection, and I would love to get more involved with it!

With World Whisky Day approaching, how do you foresee the evolution of Scottish perfumery, particularly in relation to the global appreciation for whisky culture?

Scotland is a hotbed of creativity and invention, and it always has been. I feel immensely proud of my Scottish heritage and to call it my home.
It is a country with such a dramatic, untamed, wild landscape that it makes you feel truly alive, with a cultural heritage focused on preserving our landscapes.

In this realm, I am proud to have a partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, where their botanists and horticulturalists are at the forefront of global biodiversity science and research in the face of climate change.

Scotland has given birth to many inventions and creations that have changed the world. With a backdrop of innovation, anything is possible for perfumery! Edinburgh seems poised to make its mark on the world stage this year in terms of style, culture, and events. It is a city with many high-profile celebrations.

The appreciation for Scotch whisky and the number of experts in the field are only growing, making it a vibrant industry to be involved with.

I find global interest in Kingdom Scotland, with its roots firmly planted in the world of whisky. This interest comes from whisky connoisseurs who want to explore a different facet of scent language and reveal, but also from those who love perfume but know little about whisky – it excites both worlds.