Ariana & Evans | London Gin Club
Ariana & Evans Retro Shaving Brush | Synthetic 24 mm
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Penhaligon's | Juniper Sling London Gin Club is a fresh, sparkling soap and splash from Ariana & Evans. It's probably considered to be more of a warm weather fragrance, but this is quite versatile. The convincing dry gin note is refreshing and clean. The fragrance causes me to anticipate an iciness, but it's devoid of any real cooling additive. Those familiar with dry gin will acknowledge the spirit by itself isn't particularly boozy, but rather medicinal whose character is defined by the garnish. In this case, lime is that accent. In fact, lime is the first note I detect, yet this is not particularly a citrus-forward fragrance. Backing up this beautifully crisp lime and gin accord is a shrewd black pepper and subdued leather.
There is zero lingering fragrance from the soap, so the paired splash is welcomed. The very nature of this type of fragrance is to be somewhat airy and light. More leather, black pepper, and cardamom (a documented note that I cannot isolate) would make this splash last longer, but it would adversely alter the character of the intended fragrance. As it is, depending on your body chemistry, you probably shouldn't expect to detect this much beyond an hour or two.
London Gin Club was certainly inspired by Penhaligon's masterpiece, Juniper Sling, but it's far from a dupe. Instead, it serves as an excellent complement to the lauded EdT. A quick internet search will reveal countless reviews of Juniper Sling singing its praises as a fragrance while simultaneously bemoaning its performance. Once again, this is quite simply the nature of this particular profile. I love both of these fragrances exactly the way they are.
If you're a fan of lime, you probably don't have one quite like this in your collection. Otherwise, if you just need a classy, brisk, refreshing set, you should consider London Gin Club.