The quintessence of the aristocracy can be detected through perfume and there are few perfumers more aristocratic, more regal, than Penhaligon’s. Since the perfume house’s inception in the late 1860s by William Penhaligon, the brand has remained synonymous with exuberant luxury and sophistication. For its next chapter, it makes sense then that Penhaligon’s would launch a range of scents that embody the quiet provocation of the British aristocracy.

Unlike any collection we’ve seen, chapter one of this “olfactory fiction” comprises four new fragrance characters and plots that make up the Portrait family: Lord George, Lady Blanche, the Duke and the Duchess. Each bottle becomes the fragrant embodiment of this character and their role within this unorthodox but thoroughly establishment family. Lord George is traditional, masculine and elegant containing notes of brandy, shaving soap and tonka bean. Lady Blanche is devoted and charming but never dull, she smells of orris, narcissus and hyacinth. The Duke is a ravishingly handsome softie, reflected in his formula of peppery rose, gin and leathery wood. While the Duchess is delicate and demure on the outside but desirous in her heart – she smells like mandarin, rose and musky wood.

For these fragrances Penhaligon’s has worked with the finest noses around to create original and distinctive fragrances, that feel contemporary in spite of their aristocratic roots. The packaging is divine, incorporating sculpted heads for the caps and bespoke packaging by the illustrator Kristjana Williams. It’s as decadent as you might expect, but daring too.

Penhaligon's Portraits, 75ml, £178 each, are available today from Penhaligon's.