The tincture of winchester candle is the one I light when I want a room to feel lived in, and it sits on a shelf of smoky candles that each tell a different part of a fire.
Table of Contents
Tincture of Winchester – a blend of fire arsenal of wood stock, 19th century lacquer and smoky gunpowder.
According to Modern Alchemy, smell is often called the sense tied most closely to human memory, profoundly influencing people’s ability to recall past events and experiences. Each fragrance in the Historical collection by Modern Alchemy will evoke the essence of a moment in time, places long past and events rooted in our collective history.
Modern Alchemy definitely achieved this feat for me with their Tincture of Winchester candle. It reminds me of warming by the fire on cold New England nights. Tincture of Winchester is most likely my favorite Modern Alchemy candle. I always gravitate towards woody, smoky scents.
The Lucifer candle by Juliette Has a Gun plays on the smoke from a fire. When you’re out for a walk on a dark, brisk night and you pick up the scent of a roaring fire in a nearby home. I love that smell. It makes me happy inside. That smell makes a house a home.
The Lafco Ski House candle celebrates the wood in the fire – the heart. Natural and fresh. Slight sweet with just a hint of smoke.
Votivo Smoke on the Water is the ashes under the fire. Damp, smoldering newspaper ashes. The morning after a late night campfire by a lake.
Tincture of Winchester brings all of that together. Imagine standing next to a grand, stone fireplace almost as tall as you. Rich wood paneling lines the walls. Thick rugs are scattered on the floor and you’re relaxed in an oversized, worn leather chair. It’s not refined, stuffy or pretentious like a Ralph Lauren ad. It’s warm, relaxing and welcoming and yet rich and luxurious.
It’s fun when fragrances bring memories to life. I wonder where the other Modern Alchemy fragrances will take me…
Tincture of Winchester is in the Modern Alchemy Historical Collection by D. L. & Co.
A fire told in four candles
I like to think of a fire as a story with pieces. Juliette Has a Gun Lucifer is the smoke you catch on a cold walk, and Lafco Ski House is the wood itself. Votivo Smoke on the Water is the ashes next morning.
Tincture of Winchester gathers those pieces into one scene: a stone fireplace, wood paneling and a worn leather chair.
Smoke can mean many things. Some smoky candles suggest burnt wood, others suggest incense or even a campfire. The post gives each candle its own part of the fire.
The tincture of winchester candle is the one I light first when friends come over on a cold night.
Why a historical collection works
Modern Alchemy builds each fragrance around a moment in time. Scent is strongly linked to memory, and the line uses that idea to create imagined places.
You do not need to know the history. You only need to find the mood appealing.
The description for Tincture of Winchester mentions wood stock, 19th century lacquer and smoky gunpowder. I read that as a poetic way of describing a library or a hunting lodge, not a literal gun. It brings to mind polish, old furniture and the hush of a room with a fire going.
I find that these imaginative candles are most fun when you let them tell you a story instead of checking each note.
A good historical scent should call up a place, and the tincture of winchester candle does that for me with its fireside study.
Living with the tincture of winchester candle
Smoky scents are best in a room with some air movement. They can feel heavy in a closed space. Burn for a short session and open a door.
A woody smoky candle is a nice gift for someone who has no fireplace but misses one.
For me, the scent recalls cold New England nights and a fireplace big enough to stand in. You may picture something else. That is the point: scent borrows from your own experience.
The collection comes from D. L. and Co, and every scent keeps to the idea of a place and a moment.
If you love a smoky candle, the tincture of winchester candle is a fine place to start, because it blends wood, smoke and a hint of old varnish into one picture.
And if you prefer lighter smoke, try Lafco Ski House, which the post describes as natural and fresh with only a hint of smoke.
More to read
For another Modern Alchemy post, see Modern Alchemy Historical Collection and Juliette Has a Gun Candles.
For background on the fire, the Wikipedia article on the fireplace covers its history.
Light one and settle in.
If you enjoy smoky scents, vary your use. A heavy smoke candle for evenings, a lighter woody candle for afternoons. Rotating keeps your nose from getting used to any one scent.
Store candles with the lid on to keep dust out, and trim wicks before every burn.
Heavier scents like the tincture of winchester candle are best burned in the evening, when the day has settled and the mood is slow. Keep a snuffer nearby so you can end the burn without smoke curling through the room, and trim the wick before each use.
Header photo: ViajeroExtraviado, Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
