HIGH SPIRITS

British scent maverick Jo Malone CBE discusses the launch of Jo Vodka, a new era of liberation, and her love of flying

- STORY BY HANNAH BRANDLER

What drew you to fragrance?

I'm not a trained nose but I have a natural ability—in fact, I've had my nose tested against medical detection dogs and I'm on a par. I'm severely dyslexic and my sense of smell just became my compass in life and would govern my emotions. I also have synesthesia, so I see color when I smell.

I fell in love with fragrance when eating steak frites with rosé wine in the middle of a flower market in Grasse, France. I'm still in love with it today. I love the ingredients and how you can make the orchestra of orange blossom just sing forever—it's very poetic for me.

Have you ever lost your sense of smell?

When I had chemotherapy [Malone was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003] I completely lost my smell for about six months, and then one day it just came back. During Covid, my sense of smell was acute because there were no smells of life—the smell of the bakery or the coffee shop. My home became my laboratory, and I worked my nose every day for about two to three hours. I created some of the best things during that time because it was like looking down the lens of a telescope.

Why have you decided to enter the spirits industry?

Smell and flavor aren't that different. One is on your palate, and the other is through your nose and memory. Entering the spirits industry was my friend Fran's idea—one of the partners. Everyone knows me for the sense of smell, but could I bring the spirit of Jo—my entrepreneurial creativity—into those other senses? It's literally exploded my world. For the first time in my life, I feel incredibly liberated.

How has your fragrance experience inspired the launch of Jo Vodka?