Royal Vintage

Continuation of my acquisition of M. Micallef's fragrances (on the male side). When I saw the notes and the comments, I rolled my eyes. Another Aventus clone. Great. I almost put this one off the list (or at least at the bottom of the priority list) but I got a good deal and I ended up going for it. What a great decision that was! Let's get this out of the way: if you own a dozen Aventus clones, this probably isn't for you. Myself, I had only decants of the original Aventus and Hacivat. My problem with Aventus is the overbearing sweetness and the transition to a birch tar-heavy mid which I don't love on my skin. My problem with Hacivat is the oakmoss just being too much and ending up into straight up BO territory, especially if I get warm. Royal Vintage is the remedy for both! The opening here is apple (or so Fragrantica says, I'm not so sure but at least I don't smell pineapple) which I was worried about but it ends up just being a touch of sweetness and doesn't take as much space as pineapple does in most Aventus clones (especially Al Fursan!) and the absence of birch tar replaced by thyme and cypress is an absolute blessing. It's aromatic, super smooth and eliminates all that hindered my enjoyment of the Aventus DNA. Fantastic work! Longevity is decent, not outstanding but better than the terrible batches of Aventus and lasts a few hours longer than my decant (which is from an older batch) so about 6-7 hours. Projection is pretty good, not as much as Club de Nuit (that'd be a feat) but still very good (I got several comments since I started testing it 2 weeks ago). So, to those who hate Aventus or Hacivat for the reasons I mentioned, get a decant and give this one a chance, it might change your mind. Unfortunately I believe it's been discontinued, which is a shame and a misstep IMO. Super good stuff.

The original Royal Vintage is my most worn fragrance. It's the closest thing I have to a signature scent, so I'm familiar with the scent quite well. With that being said, I was able to spot a few differences in this new edition. Don't get me wrong, the scent itself is still a masterpiece, and is unmistakably still Royal Vintage. However, there are texture and developmental differences that are noticeable to me with each and every wear. The original is juicier, zestier, creamier, and fuller. While this new rendition is fruitier, drier, greener, and ashier. The leather is nonextant in this version, replaced by moss, so the overall scent feels lighter, whereas the original is more nuanced and leathery. The good news here is that the scent is still smoky and remains just as addictive, although it lacks the soft musky creaminess the original has. The article of the new bottle 'design' mentioned G. Nejman as the perfumer, while the original was produced by none other than Jean-Claude Astier. This could very well explain why there’s been a change in the note pyramid. Same scent profile with minor 'tweaks'. I do think both versions are excellent, and on scent alone, I’m happy to own both -- but if I had to choose, I'd go with the original. Regardless, this fragrance is my number one.

I wasn't convinced initially by this fragrance, that I purchased following reviews of reliable members in here. Let me also disclose that I'm not a fan of pineapple in fragrances, if you know what I mean. At such a point that I thought about reselling my bottle. Well, after a few wearings, I have to say that my opinion changed radically. It is fruity on top, yes, but so green, smoky, peppery and fresh that it definitely stays in the masculine territory. The base is a musky moss so well done that it shows undertones of green tobacco, like a previous reviewer has already observed. The projection was low to average, with a 4-5 hours longevity on my skin, but after 1-2 months of opening the bottle (and wearing it now in the heat), it has shifted to strong projection (in the first 1-2 hours) and a longevity of 6-7 hours. For the best! From ok to a solid like for me, possibly on its road to love! Great release by Micallef!

The only Aventus contender This opens more green more smoky than Aventus it has a green smelling fruits Very fresh in the opening smoky at the heart woody in the dry down. I can smell green Tobacco in the fragrance its very elegant and extremely mannish. If I compare this one with old royal vintage I would have to say the old one is much better and will always beat Aventus for me because it has very mannish leather note with more green and elegant fresh opening. Sadly the new one does not contain the leather note but it’s still smoky and green some people will say leathery but not me. I think they added balsam of peru in this one but not leather . I would love if micallef returns to the old formulation. This one Gets 9.5 out of 10 If you love Aventus for the green smoky notes then this is a must for you

Pretty awesome. The smokiness gives this a backbone that lifts it above Frapin Orchard Man or Floris 1976, but still retains that moreish apple note.