I've sampled a good portion of Penhaligon's perfumes and owned 2 full-size bottles. Some I like and some I don't, but this Portraits set is just perfectly mediocre. It has mediocre projection, mediocre longevity, but most disappointingly - a mediocre scent. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple I find pretty good. Not great, but good. However, don't forget that these are $400/75ml bottles. I think most of these would be perfectly fine in some lower-end collections. But as the most expensive line? Absolutely not. It's just not interesting or high-quality enough to justify the price tag.
The last argument I have, and this is an odd one, to me Penhaligon's has its own style. These ones are just... Don't. I'd never have guessed that these are Penhaligon's in a blind test. Just because they're too generic, they could literally be any other brand.
P.S. It's a good value for the sample set though. You're getting 20ml of perfume for $60. It's actually much cheaper than buying a full bottle!