Nouveau Cologne 4711 2011

The company Mäurer & Wirtz indulges in the luxury of employing a full-time nose (that is, an in-house perfumer) like Chanel or Hermes. Unlike her colleagues Polge or Ellena, however, Alexandra Kalle is not a trained perfumer but a marketing professional who has also worked for Coca-Cola and More & More. No, this is by no means to undermine her olfactory skills. After all, she must not only have the right nose for 4711 but also steer the fortunes of Michalsky, Strellson, Pussy Deluxe, Betty Barclay, S. Oliver, Gin Tonic, Otto Kern, etc., all of which are gathered under the M&W umbrella.

For many years, 4711 Cologne Water - the actual cash cow of the shop - was left in a Sleeping Beauty slumber, relegated to the handbag of our grandmothers and a miserable reputation. But since the end of 2008, things have been buzzing in Stolberg, as Alexandra Kalle made a very respectable debut with the nice Acqua Colonia series. In interviews, the lady tells us that her current main interest in fragrances lies in the wellness sector and that she has developed a fondness for floral scents.

But who is she telling this to? We have already had the chance to sniff the new Cologne, which is hard to escape in any drugstore, right? What distinguishes 4711 Nouveau Cologne the most, as it enters the factory annals as the ninth Acqua Colonia, is certainly the price range. NC was not meant to be a premium fragrance but a mass seller that stands alongside the well-known 4711; consequently, it is only half as expensive as the Acqua Colonias.

In terms of scent, it doesn’t take anything away, because even if Ms. Kalle certainly had the task of driving out the mustiness of decades from 4711 and recruiting new target groups, one can immediately discover the Rhineland cheerfulness in the new Cologne, somewhere in direct proximity to Acqua Colonia Blood Orange/Basil.

Well, fragrance ingredients are sound and smoke, because even with completely different ingredients, we somehow arrive at the orange, and the spirit of neroli, which was supposed to be banished, still hovers over the concept. Additionally, a good portion of Biotherm "Eau Pure" was copied, and the upgrade was complete. It’s not a grand Cologne like Acqua di Parma or Eau de Guerlain, but rather an affordable feel-good scent. This is not terribly bad, but why a traditional house like 4711 has no urge for something greater and settles for a fragrance that primarily caters to the zeitgeist is a mystery to me.

Nouveau Cologne is sweet, fruity, floral, and with heliotrope and tonka, sweet and feminine, so it will hardly resonate with the aftershave clientele. More something for - wait, I need to barricade myself - younger girls. With the IMHO slightly unfortunate new design of the not necessarily needed Molanus bottle, it is quite suitable for dollhouses and toy shops. "Good day, Ms. Kalle, a perfume please!"