Vi et Armis - Beaufort London

“Emotional excitement reaches men through tea, tobacco, opium, whisky, and religion”

George Bernard Shaw

Vi Et Armis is an explosively spiced ‘oriental’ Eau de parfum inspired by Great Britain’s dominance of international sea trade across the centuries. It’s key notes allude to the cargoes carried across oceans in the holds of British ships: exotic, occasionally illicit, rich wares contained in dark chests, traded between points on the map.
Tea meets sticky opium at the forefront of the composition, vying for dominance. Smouldering woods and tarry planks form the base with rich oud and incense complementing the smoked spice and alcoholic notes. Paradoxical and challenging, Beaufort London imagines the roots of this island nation steeped in contradictions.
Perfumer Julie Marlowe was tasked with creating a perfume almost as a collision of cultures - to produce a fragrance which is as complex, contradictory and dark as the chapters of British history.

Top: Cardamom, Black pepper, Black tea, Whiskey, Grapefruit, Frankincense
Heart: Tea, Opium flower note, Red fruits, Ylang-Ylang
Base: Tobacco, Birch, Oud, Amber, Cistus labdanum, Caramel, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Atlas cedar