A Grecian sun-drenched citrus marked by complexity and longevity. 

A piercing freshness. Rind of citrus exposed to salty sea air and rugged terrain. A moment of reprieve and unexpected depth. CORFU KUMQUAT takes its name and source material from the regal Grecian island of Corfu.

Kumquats proliferate the isle of Corfu. The small and bitter oval-shaped, orange-colored fruit originally came to Greece from China in the 1800s. Today they are largely grown on the Northern coast, transformed into liqueurs and candies sold on the island where Prince Philip grew up. “You’re in Corfu and you're stunned by the beauty of the island, the architecture, the history,” says AEDES DE VENUSTAS co-founder Robert Gerstner. “Empress Elizabeth didn’t spend months and months there for nothing.”

When it came time for AEDES DE VENUSTAS founders Gerstner and Karl Bradl to envision a citrus scent that fit with their baroque style, they enlisted Greek perfumer Ilias Ermenidis, who immediately thought of his homeland, with all of its rich royal fascination and natural beauty.

The brief for him: a mysterious citrus, with the mood of AEDES PERFUMERY in mind. Nothing sweet or simple. Knowing that citrus scents tend to fade the fastest, he paired kumquat with Calabrian bergamot, a bracing squeeze to signal the dawn of something new. The cedrat Calabrian bergamot, the star of Earl Grey tea, comes from the thick rind of the fruit. It brings a spiciness that is balanced by notes from tangerine, mandarin and neroli. Salty ambrox and mystical olibanum take us to the seaside landscape.

Ginger, lavender, Granny Smith apple and rhubarb add a rounded fruitiness to the center. And Alaskan cedar, from a species of trees in the cypress family, vetiver, captive musks and tonka weave the dark background that unknowingly holds the citrusy cocktail together.

Perfumer Ilias Ermenidis describes a “unique and joyful emotion creating an accord so close to my heart, where kumquat from the island of Corfu marries with Calabrian bergamot and where salty ambrox and mystical olibanum are there to remind us which part of the world we are traveling to with our senses.”

CORFU KUMQUAT is an expression of citrus that lasts far beyond the moment it is released.