# M. Micallef — Note Vanillée

> Note Vanillee is a boozy, semi-sweet vanilla from the Grasse-based niche house M. Micallef (founded by Martine Micallef and Geoffrey Nejman), originally launched in 2007 and composed by Jean-Claude As

## Essence
Note Vanillee is a boozy, semi-sweet vanilla from the Grasse-based niche house M. Micallef (founded by Martine Micallef and Geoffrey Nejman), originally launched in 2007 and composed by Jean-Claude Astier. It is built around a bourbon/double-bourbon vanilla laced with rum and cognac over amber and sandalwood, with a brief citrus-and-jasmine overture. It is one of the house's signature cult fragrances - discontinued once and brought back by popular demand - and is a perennial reference in "boozy vanilla" discussions, frequently mentioned in the same breath as Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille.
## Scent Profile
The opening is a quick, pretty flash of creamy mandarin/citrus and a soft floral (jasmine, sometimes read as honeyed or licorice-tinged), but most wearers say it heads almost immediately to the base. The heart of the experience is a warm, boozy vanilla - not the dessert-sweet, sugary vanilla of mass gourmands, but a drier, "double bourbon" vanilla animated by rum and cognac. The signature accord is this boozy-vanilla-over-amber, with sandalwood adding creaminess and a faint warm-spicy edge. Reviewers consistently distinguish it from candy vanillas: it reads sophisticated, "semi-sweet," sometimes powdery, with a few noses catching tobacco, honey or black-licorice facets the pyramid doesn't list. An original published review described an opulent, golden, almost palpable warmth with licorice and pipe-tobacco nuances and a crystallized amber. It is fairly linear in the base but rewards maceration - multiple owners report it improves dramatically as the juice ages and darkens.
## Performance
Performance reports are mixed and tied directly to formulation era (see Versions). For current bottles, the common read is moderate sillage with good-to-strong longevity that wears close to the skin - several wearers cite roughly six to eight hours. Older/original bottles are described as deeper, boozier and longer-lasting. A recurring caveat: on some skins, decanted or oxidized juice can throw a body-odor or sour off-note, with the workaround being to spray on clothing or pulse points well before leaving. Practical reading: expect an intimate-to-moderate projector with solid longevity; buy fresh and let it macerate.
## Wearing Context
Most wearers frame it as a cooler-weather, cozy, evening or holiday scent - Christmas/Thanksgiving associations recur because of the boozy-vanilla-amber warmth. A significant minority successfully wear it as a lighter spring/summer vanilla and even propose it as a signature scent, citing its balance and lack of cloying sweetness. It is marketed feminine and reads that way, but the dry, boozy, woody character makes it comfortably unisex; some find it "mature" or sophisticated rather than youthful. Practical reading: a versatile comfort vanilla leaning autumn/winter and evening, but wearable year-round by those who like it lighter.
## Comparisons & DNA
The dominant comparison, named again and again, is Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille (2007) - the two are repeatedly called "sisters." The consensus deltas: Note Vanillee is softer, warmer and less sharp than SDV, drier and more aromatic due to the amber and alcohol, while SDV is richer/sweeter and more complex from its benzoin and rose. Several wearers explicitly call Note Vanillee "everything SDV should have been," and one reviewer historically dubbed it a "low budget SDV" before walking that back. Other relatives frequently named include Jessica Simpson Fancy (a recurring, more downmarket lookalike), Xerjoff Lira, and the broader Guerlain L'Art et la Matiere vanillas. Clone houses have targeted it directly: Dua Fragrances markets "Booze & Vanille" as an explicit Note Vanillee inspiration. Its own line includes a stronger, sweeter 2023 flanker, Note Vanillee Nectar.
## Reception
Reception is genuinely enthusiastic and long-running - 18-plus years of discussion. Tammy Schuster called it "the finest vanilla fragrance I have ever experienced... truly a masterpiece among all the treasures de Micallef," and noted the public outcry that brought it back after discontinuation ("word has it that our Editor in Chief pleaded for over a year"). Praise centers on the boozy-but-balanced character, the high-quality "Parisian perfumery" feel, and the addictive warmth. The two main criticisms are performance (especially post-reformulation) and price for the size. The sharpest polarization axis is the reformulation itself (below). A second axis is the booze: most get a clear rum/cognac lift, but a notable minority get only soft powdery vanilla and no booze at all, suggesting skin-chemistry sensitivity. Blind-buy verdict: a strong recommendation for boozy-vanilla lovers - but sample first and, ideally, source an older bottle.
## Versions & Reformulation
This is the key issue. Note Vanillee was launched in 2007, discontinued, then brought back around 2015 by popular demand (a published review ties the revival to sustained reader/editor lobbying). It was then repackaged in 2022 - the bottle changing from the older dark-capped cube to a flatter, gold-capped bottle in a white box - and many longtime fans insist this coincided with a genuine reformulation: side-by-side reports describe the newer juice as markedly less boozy, lighter and weaker, with the rum/cognac muted. The house's position, relayed by a reviewer, is that "this is the same formula as before, but that letting it evolve and mature results in ideal aromatic presentation" - i.e., that perceived differences come from maceration, not reformulation. Opinion is split, but the weight of side-by-side anecdote favors a real change. There is also a separate, more concentrated 2023 flanker, Note Vanillee Nectar, which is richer and sweeter. Available listings name 2007/Astier for the original; current metadata shows a 2022 date reflecting the repackage.
## Acquisition Notes
Niche pricing, but moderate for the category and often discounted. It appears regularly at US discounters well below boutique price - shop listings show FragranceNet at roughly $116 - $129 - while boutique-tier sellers such as Maxaroma list it around $250 for a full bottle. It is part of the house's Jewel Collection / Art Collection and is sold at Luckyscent (US) and First in Fragrance (Germany). Decants and samples are widely available and strongly advised given the reformulation question and the skin-dependent booze perception. Buyers chasing the original character specifically hunt the older dark-cap cube bottles on the secondary market.
## Notable Facts & Lore
- The fragrance was discontinued and then reinstated after a sustained campaign by fans and a perfume editorial team - the revival is itself the lore.
- M. Micallef is known for elaborate, hand-decorated, jewel-set bottles, and Note Vanillee sits within that "perfume as art" house identity.
- The persistent "is-it-reformulated" debate has made it a frequent case study in how repackaging and maceration affect a beloved formula.
- A 2022 repackage (dark-capped cube to gold-capped flat bottle) is the dividing line longtime fans point to for a perceived formula change.
- It is widely treated as the boozy-vanilla "sister" to Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille.