In a world where brand crossovers are becoming increasingly bold, Jo Malone may have just pulled off the most unexpected one yet. The legendary British perfumer — cherished for fragrances like Pear & Freesia, Pomegranate Noir, and the ethereal Lavender & Moonflower — has stepped into a new sensory realm. And this time, it’s not about what you smell.
It’s about what you taste.
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A Perfumer With an Unconventional Past
Jo Malone OBE has always embraced the unusual. She is severely dyslexic, famously unable to tell the time until she was nineteen. She once worked as a magician’s assistant, tending to white rabbits and a dove named Suki that appeared from a pan of fire. These details feel almost folkloric, but they encapsulate Malone’s genius — she sees the world differently, and she builds empires from that perspective.
After selling her original Jo Malone London brand to Estée Lauder in 1999, she returned triumphantly in 2011 with Jo Loves, creating fragrances that became instant modern classics — Pomelo, Love From Como, Mango Thai Lime, Rose Petal 25, Orange Butterflies. Each scent felt personal, memory-driven, and infused with her signature clarity.
So perhaps it isn’t surprising that she has once again leapt into the unknown.
From Scent to Spirit
Malone’s newest venture is Jo Vodka, a premium collection born from 18 months of development and driven by her lifelong synesthesia — the ability to “see” scent. She approached vodka the same way she approaches fragrance: through notes, balance, emotion, and an almost architectural layering of elements.
“Everyone knows me for smell,” she says. “But could I create myself in another sense? Taste felt like the closest path. Blending vodka isn’t so different from building perfume — one is for your nose, the other is for your palate.”
Malone teamed up with legendary master distiller Joanne Moore, whose work with Quintessential Brands includes award-winning gins like Bloom and Greenall’s. Production takes place at G&J Distillers in Cheshire, England, a heritage distillery known for meticulous craftsmanship. Quintessential founder Enzo Visone is also a partner in the venture.
The Jo Vodka Collection
The debut lineup features three expressions — each tied to a chapter of Malone’s life, each designed for both sipping and mixing.
101: The Purist
A vodka built around a “secret formula,” crisp, structured, and remarkably smooth. Malone describes its bouquet as standing “on a mountaintop,” with a whisper of white florals and a bright, clean finish. It slides effortlessly into a Dirty Martini.
102: The Bohemian
Inspired by her barefoot days on the beach in Dubai, The Bohemian leans toward citrus and sun. Pomelo, yuzu, bay leaf, and bergamot create a languid, coastal expression best served over ice with pomelo zest. It feels like a long exhale at golden hour.
103: The Artist
A tribute to her father — a painter and magician — and her childhood spent selling his artwork along the King’s Road. Floral and expressive, it blends rose, pink peppercorn, and sencha. It’s a nod to the 1970s, creativity, and the bohemian soul of London.
A New Sensory Chapter
Malone has never been one to stay in a single lane. She has shaped billion-dollar brands through instinct and imagination. Jo Vodka feels like the next natural leap — bold, elegant, and unexpected.
“I’ve always got a bottle in my hand somewhere in my life,” she laughs. The line is playful, but there’s something deeper, too. Malone is a builder, a storyteller, and above all, an artist who translates emotion into sensory form. Whether it’s a candle, a cologne, or now, a chilled glass of vodka, she creates experiences rooted in memory, magic, and a keen understanding of how people feel.
Each bottle of Jo Vodka retails for £50 (US$69).
More at www.jovodka.com.
This story originally appeared on Upscalelivingmag
