Black Hemlock Scent Trunk

Hemlock is a highly toxic plant — so much so that the Greek philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking it. Now, I can’t say I have smelled it, but a fragrance revolving around this particular plant caught my attention as soon as I heard of it. By no means a floral fragrance, Black Hemlock by Scent Trunk is a woody, resinous scent with an overdose of spice. Let’s get into it.

Black Hemlock, as soon as it is sprayed, hits you with a piney, resinous blast. It does have floral aspects, which can be attributed to the hemlock accord, but the most interesting aspect of this fragrance is the woody, spicy, and green nuances that create the illusion of a magical forest. Speaking in terms of notes, there’s not much I can say. It has pine; it has floral aspects; it has a lot of resins; it has spices; it has musk — but just listing them does nothing.

What this smells like to my nose is a potion being brewed in the middle of a forest. Imagine taking a stroll through a thick, wild, lush green forest, with decay and rot all over the ground. Wildflowers and mushrooms sprout wherever they find a place to grow, insects chew on wood and leaves, animals leave their markings everywhere, and sunlight barely reaches the forest floor even during the day. You walk in search of an exit, but a strangely peculiar herbal aroma draws you toward a large cauldron in the midst, within which boils a sharp, pungent, and spicy potion. You try to run away, but that aroma burns through your nose, and even after an entire day, all you can smell is that. Overtly herbal and medicinal, Black Hemlock is something Radagast the Brown from The Lord of the Rings would smell like.

Art in a bottle. Magic in liquid. Emotions in a scent. This fragrance is all of that. It reminds me of a particular Ayurvedic medicine from my childhood, but I can’t quite place it. Nevertheless, the scent is beautifully blended, with no rough edges — a successful addition to my hunt for beautiful resinous scents.