LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA ‘MAILLETTE’ – FRESH & FLORAL

The famous French cultivar, ‘Maillette’ in full flower, is an elegant open bushy plant up to 75cm round displaying, during summer, abundant lacy purple spikes 8 to 15 cm long.

 ESSENTIAL OIL

‘Maillette’ produces essential oil which reflects the effervescent floral refinement general to French lavender oil. This refined character comes from consistently high levels of the defining lavender compounds of linalool (27.23 - 41.17%) and linalyl acetate (33.27 – 41.55%) which while varying each year, nevertheless together consistently account for between 70 and 75% of Maillette’s total oil chemistry. Maillette, as with all our L. angustifolia oil, displays negligible levels of the sharper camphor and 1.8 cineole compounds. The chemical profile matches closely the French and Australian ISO Standard for L. angustifolia oil, and from the GC/MS readings, seen by us, our oil matches closely the phytochemical balance displayed by the European produced Maillette oils

HYDROSOL

The hydrosol derived from the Maillette cultivar adds a light floral front note to the piquant honey aroma typical of most angustifolia cultivar. As with all our lavender hydrosols Maillette comes off the still with a pH level well below 4.5, giving it a high level astringency.

LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA ‘COOKIE’ – EFFERVESCENT

Light violet in colour, the beautiful ‘Cookie’ cultivar owes its existence to a handful of seeds planted at Nanami Lavender Farm near Eugowra NSW in the 1990’s and a text book inspired assessment of the 80 plants to emerge by Bruce Townsend. This plant he named after his mother and while the original plant has long since passed on, the fourteen cuttings Bruce originally took have now been reproduced to a level where Cookie’s viability as an oil cultivar is apparent.  This plant is still in the early stages of its commercial plantings so we currently are only producing small quantities of this oil however we hope these quantities will increase significantly over the next couple of years.

ESSENTIAL OIL

The essential oil of the Cookie cultivar fits entirely within the Pharmacopeia Standards and also balances well with the ISO benchmarks. When comparing the balance of the key lavender compounds, linalool and linalyl acetate, L.a Cookie is definitely skewed towards the ester compound, linalyl acetate, which can be high as 46.75% with the alcohol, linalool, usually settling around the 21 – 22% mark. The total ester content can be as high as 55% when including along with the linalyl acetate, significant levels of lavandulyl, octen-3-yl, geranyl and neryl acetates. This balance towards the esters at an aromatic level means ‘Cookie’ essential oil is characterised by an effervescent floral freshness with a hint of peppermint especially evident in the oil’s front notes. These fresher notes are given depth and aromatic longevity with some spicy floral and peppery wood back notes due to significant levels of the more resonant compounds, octanone 3, cis & trans ß ocimene, ß -caryophyllene and α –santalene.

HYDROSOL

The hydrosol derived from the Cookie cultivar highlights a minty note alongside its light floral aroma. There is only a hint of the piquant honey notes typical of most angustifolia cultivars. As with all our lavender hydrosols Cookie comes off the still with a pH level well below 4.5, giving it a high level of astringency.

TYPICAL PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE RANGE, L.A. COOKIE 2005 – 2014

linalool 21.51 – 26.34 • linalyl acetate 36.37- 46 .75 • lavandulol 0.11 – 0. 81 • lavandulyl acetate 2.67 – 3.33 •• limonene/ ß-phellandrene 0.25 – 0.54 • octen -3-ol 0.08 – 0.15 •1,8-cineole 0.42 - 0.61• cis-ß-ocimene 3.61 – 4.22 • trans-ß-ocimene 3.56 – 6.12 • 3-octanone 2.39 - 3.39 • octen-3-yl acetate 1.89 – 2.62 • geranyl acetate 0.35 – 1.08 • neryl acetate 0.11 -0.46 •camphor 0.011 – 0.46 • borneol 0.36 – 1.26 • terpinen-4-ol 0.73 – 1.17 • α- terpineol 0.13 -1.49 • ß – caryophyllene 2.62 – 3.43 • (E)-beta-farsenene 0.75 – 0.98 • α –santalene 1.06 - 1.28

LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA ‘BEE’ – RESONANT & HONEY SWEET

L. angustifolia Bee has a semi-open bushy habit to 75 cm round when it bears a profusion of densely packed mauve flower spikes of between 8 and 15cm in length. Developed from seed by Larkman Nurseries (AUST), Bee has marked out a very special place for itself at Snowy River Lavender. Not only is Bee a very successful plant in our growing conditions, producing consistent high yields (1.1- 1.3%) of exceedingly high quality lavender oil, it is also naturally fertile on our farm being the most generous of our parent plants in spontaneously producing seedling stock. It must be said that about 80% of our initial ‘Sponnee’ seedlings were collected from amongst the Bee cultivars and while many of these seedlings as adult plants are showing evidence of cross-pollination with our other lavender cultivars, Bee has well and truly stamped it’s genetics on the seed population oils of Snowy River Lavender.

ESSENTIAL OIL

L.a. Bee produces an essential oil well balanced in the key lavender compounds and compares positively to all the Standards for L. angustifolia oil (Pharmacopeia and ISO - French, Australian & Other). Bee is the richest of our lavender oils characterised by a spicy sweet honey aroma with hints of dry wood and mushroom. For lavender oil, Bee has an unusual lasting effect, which we attribute to consistently high levels of the warming spicy floral, cis-ß-ocimene (6 - 8%), the sweet peppery tenacity of ß – caryophyllene (2.19 - 3.00%) and the buttery honey ketone, 3-octanone (2.5 – 4.5%). While this level of 3-octanone is slightly higher than the French ISO Standard (trace - 2 %) it sits exactly within the Australian ISO Standard (2 - 5%). The Australian ISO Standard is predicated on Tasmania’s famous Bridestowe Lavender Oil an essential oil naturally high in the octanone compound and importantly is well regarded for high-end perfumery

HYDROSOL

The hydrosol derived from the bee cultivar has the piquant honey aroma typical of most angustifolia cultivars but with more sweet intensity. As with all our lavender hydrosols Bee comes off the still with a pH level well below 4.00, giving it a high level astringency.

TYPICAL PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE RANGE, L.A. BEE 2005 – 2014

linalool 29.9 – 34.2 • linalyl acetate 31.52-38.93• lavandulol 0.24 – 0.61 • lavandulyl acetate 1.61- 2.42• limonene/ ß-phellandrene 0.42 - 1.24 • octen -3-ol 0.14 – 0.47 • 1,8-cineole trace - 0.02• cis-ß-ocimene 6.3 – 8.2 • trans-ß-ocimene 0.88 – 1.29 • 3-octanone 2.53 - 4.47 • octen-3-yl acetate 1.44 – 2.17• geranyl acetate 0.48 – 0.82 • neryl acetate 0.23 - 0.48 • camphor 0.04 – 0.29 • borneol 0.49 – 0.83 • terpinen-4-ol 0.10 – 0.63 • α- terpineol 0.33 - 1.22 • ß – caryophyllene 2.19 – 3.00 • (E)-beta-farsenene 0.14 – 0.16 • α –santalene 0.95 - 1.19

LAVENDER CULTIVAR PROFILE/ AVICE HILL

LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA ‘AVICE HILL’ PBR – SWEET ESTER

Fountains of violet flowers a shimmer in the summer sun describes well a field of Avice Hill at harvest time. Developed in New Zealand from L.a. Munstead seed, by herb grower Avice Hill, and later named and developed commercially by Virginia McNaughton. This most beautiful of lavender cultivars has found a certain place as an essential oil plant at Snowy River Lavender based on consistent high yields and the vibrant floral musky aroma of its oil.

ESSENTIAL OIL

The essential oil of the cultivar Avice Hill is balanced in favour of the ester compounds, up to 50% of the total chemistry, and away from the alcohols which together, and including, the signature lavender compound linalool do not exceed 25% of the phytochemistry. The dominant aromatic character of this oil is a refined fruity floral sweetness typical of high levels of linalyl acetate (on average above 40%) subtly tempered by a herbaceous & woody undertow contributed by a slightly elevated level of terpen-4-ol (3.5-5.5%) and a corollary of deeper sweet compounds present in higher than average concentrations, cis-ß-ocimene (7-13%), trans-ß-ocimene (2.5-6%), ß – caryophyllene (3-4%), 3-octanone (2-3%)and α – santalene (0.8) together hinting at a complexity of musk, honey, pepper, and wood. This oil is sweet but has complex back notes.

HYDROSOL

The hydrosol derived from the Avice Hill cultivar has the piquant honey aroma typical of most angustifolia cultivar. This cultivar’s hydrosol is however is individualised with fruity hints of apricots and the musky wood undertow of cedar. As with all our lavender hydrosols Avice Hill comes off the still with a pH level well below 4.5, giving it a high level of astringency. NOTE: L.a. Avice Hill is a cultivar which is regulated by Plant Breeders Right (PBR). This means it can only be propagated under license to the plant breeder. This plant is sourced from Larkman Nurseries, Victoria. Australia.

TYPICAL PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE RANGE, L.A. AVICE HILL PBR 2005 – 2014

linalool 12.32 – 18.95 • linalyl acetate 34.06 – 43.43• lavandulol 0.08 – 0. 15 • lavandulyl acetate 1.86 – 3.17 • limonene/ ß-phellandrene 0.37 – 0.87 • octen -3-ol 0.05 – 0.14 • 1,8-cineole 0.60 – 1.21 • cis-ß-ocimene 7.41 – 13.09 • trans-ß-ocimene 2.67 – 6.16 • 3-octanone 1.19 - 3.10 • octen-3-yl acetate 1.59 – 3.25 • geranyl acetate 0.43 – 1.24 • neryl acetate 0.14 -0.48 • camphor 0.17 – 0.52 • borneol 0.83 – 1.39 • terpinen-4-ol 3.55 – 5.47 • α- terpineol 0.32 – 1.7 • ß – caryophyllene 3.06 – 4.10• (E)-beta-farsenene 0.69 – 1.06 • α –santalene 0.81- 1.19

LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA ‘SPONNEE’ – SEED LAVENDER

Our ‘Sponnee’ essential oil is the product of self seeded plants collected from between our rows of established lavender and planted out in dedicated patches. As with all seed derived plants no two are exactly alike, nevertheless each contains genetic material from the parent plants and in this way the Sponnees shadow in interesting ways our established cultivars with the oils showing distinctive markers of their heritage. We have distilled the flower from these plants since 2008 and each year, while showing variances this oil is so far genetically reflective of the cultivar Bee, a naturally fertile cultivar in our conditions. Importantly seed developed lavender characteristically enables the genetic complexity and individual potentials of plants for alternative chemistries, and expressions of beauty, to be reflected in the essential oil produced. These qualities are appealing for those sensitive to the fact that botanical diversity is nature’s own way.

ESSENTIAL OIL

So far our Sponnee essential oils have all been well balanced with significantly high levels of both linalool and linalyl acetate (65 %-70%) with negligible levels of camphor and 1-8 cineole. While reminiscent of the bee cultivar, the oils produced so far have a lighter sweetness, than that cultivar, with an intriguing hint of orange blossom in the front notes not found in any of our other lavender oils. The higher than normal levels of the tenacious and spicy floral honey tones of 3 – octanone, beta-caryophellene and cis-ß-ocimene give depth in the middle notes drying to light powdery sweet finish. The fresh hints of rose leaf and orange are attributable to farsenene and terpinen-4-ol probably a genetic contribution from our Pacific Blue cultivar. Due to the more random nature of population oils each year will yield a slightly different balance of chemistry our current bottling is from our 2014 distillation year. Our 2015 oils will be released in January 2016

HYDROSOL

The hydrosol derived from the Sponnee distillation (2012) highlights a peppery earthiness which is somewhat at odds to the refined fruity floral sweetness of the essential oil. There is only a hint of the piquant honey notes typical of most angustifolia hydrosols. As with all our lavender hydrosols Sponnee comes off the still with a pH level well below 4.5 (2014 our current bottling was distilled 3.6) giving it a high level of astringency.

TYPICAL PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE RANGE, L.A. SPONNEE 2008 – 2014

linalool 29.88 – 34.81 • linalyl acetate 27.96 – 34.81 • lavandulol 0.06 – 0.56 • lavandulyl acetate 0.22 – 2.40 • limonene/ ß-phellandrene 0.49 – 1.12• octen -3-ol 0.15 – 0.41 • 1,8-cineole trace - 0.28 • cis-ß-ocimene 3.33 – 8.18 • trans-ß-ocimene 1.30 – 2.43 • 3-octanone 2.03 – 5.00 • octen-3-yl acetate 1.01 – 2.03 • geranyl acetate 0.48 – 0.82 • neryl acetate 0.18 - 0.28 • camphor 0.19 – 0.52 • borneol 0.75 – 1.48 • terpinen-4-ol 0.10 – 3.80 • α- terpineol 0.42 – 0.82 • ß – caryophyllene 1.82 – 3.15 • (E)-beta-farsenene 0.43 – 1.03 • α –santalene 1.08

Growing out farm on firm foundations

Read more

After quality and yield testing our initial plantings of ten different cultivars, five Lavandula angustifolia cultivars were chosen as the foundation plants for our Snowy River Lavender’s commercial planting program. Two of these are Australian cultivars L.a. ‘Bee’ and L.a. ‘Cookie’, two are New Zealanders, L.a. ‘Pacific Blue’ and L.a. ‘Avice Hill’ (PBR) and we also have the French cultivar L.a. ‘Maillette’. These plants are all high yielding and more importantly each produce oils which while mostly well balanced in the key lavender compounds are also distinctive with their own characteristic aroma and chemistry. We are growing and distilling these plants in pure stands and selling on the oils as single cultivar distillations with their vintage GC/MS profiles available for those interested in plant chemistry and essential oil consistency.

Fountains of violet flowers with sweet ester essential oil

Read more

Mauve floral abundance producing resonant and honey rich essential oil.

Read more

A pale violet Australian beauty with an effervescent floral essential oil

Read more

The French classic with a bright floral aroma.

Read more

Dark purple abundance with a green, peppery fragrance.

Read more

Our population lavender, Seed grown plants - naturally beautiful.

Read more