There are candles and there are candles. Rathborne make candles. Exquisite fragrances, in beautiful glassware and a certain something special which makes a scented candle a blessing for the eyes and the nose. Rathborne is an interesting brand for candles fans. It is the oldest candle brand in the world. Other brands (I’m looking at you Cire Trudon) have claimed this moniker, but Rathborne was established in 1488. That’s about 150 years before other candle brands that are still around today came onto the scene.
Established in Dublin during an era when candles were used for street lighting. The company is still Dublin based and still making candles. This is a small range – only six fragrances and nothing that is gourmand, seasonal or trend led. The scents are based around the classic fragrance families citrus, woody, floral, oriental. These candles have ambience creating fragrances that you would not necessarily want to wear as fragrance on your skin or in your body products.
It is no surprise that I plumped for the citrus-floral blend. Bitter orange, birch tar and balsam which, in my opinion is not that floral. The bitter orange, gives the citrus hit but the birch tar and balsam provide a soft woody note with a gentle hit of pine. It sounds like it should smell like Christmas, but actually it smells like elegance.
At first glance the packaging looks very simple and it is. However, there is something quite beautiful about it all. From the texture on the box, to the gold lettering, the hand poured wax and the sturdy frosted glass everything is beautifully done. If you enjoy a candle that throws the fragrance after a few minutes and burns evenly, Rathborne is a brand you need to investigate.