Royal Vintage 2013

Royal Vintage by M. Micallef
Bottle Design Martine Micallef
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8.0 / 10 368 Ratings
Royal Vintage is a popular perfume by M. Micallef for men and was released in 2013. The scent is woody-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Fresh
Leathery
Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
BergamotBergamot Pink pepperPink pepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CypressCypress LeatherLeather
Base Notes Base Notes
MuskMusk PatchouliPatchouli

Perfumers

Videos
Ratings
Scent
8.0368 Ratings
Longevity
7.7318 Ratings
Sillage
7.2321 Ratings
Bottle
7.9305 Ratings
Value for money
6.8116 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 19.04.2024.
Interesting Facts
The bottle was redesigned in 2020.

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions
4
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
MajorTom

97 Reviews
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MajorTom
MajorTom
Top Review 18  
Royal old thing?
Let me start by saying that I haven't gotten warm with Mr. Micallef's creations yet. I simply couldn't find any access, even though I appreciated the craftsmanship behind every single scent, it just wasn't my taste.

Then one day the name "Royal Vintage" jumped at me by chance. Royal Vintage? What's Micallef trying to tell us? Does it smell royal? Or like an old box? Well, the name had made me curious, so test it. And that's right on your skin, so you can really make an assessment, because paper strips or Kleenex are nice, but often don't reflect the true effect of a wearer.

One spray is enough. I smell bergamot, one of the fine nature, obviously not the cheapest material processed here. Bergamot is associated with a certain spice, according to the fragrance pyramid it is pink pepper. To find out, you probably have to work as a professional perfumer at Givaudan or Symrise, but ok, let's leave it at that. The top note does not evaporate, it discreetly retreats and gradually gives way to the heart note. My nose hears leather, but not in bikerstyle, no heavy, black, riotous leather, but also here very finely arranged, perfectly harmonizing with the bergamot. The dry down itself allows Patchouli an elegant appearance, in my opinion with a touch of animality, but without seeming cheap or intrusive at all.

I'm very impressed.

A kind of scent that has what it takes to replace my beloved Ormonde Isfarkand as my signature.

All year round wearable, this is also rather rare, mostly fragrances work depending on the season. From my point of view for people over 40, because the fragrance underlines and marks the personality of its wearer. And also because the fragrance, as it comes across, simply carries a certain seniority with it. Someone who stands out, someone you can see without bothering you. And yet it sets standards, making a clear statement. One to remember.

A fragrance that I don't have to worry about in the morning whether it "fits" because it always does. At the office, dinner, meeting, weekend, shopping, café. Day like night, winter like summer, early till late.

Sillage and durability at a high level, even if the competition shows that it can be even better. The bottle: at the end of the day it's a matter of taste, I don't like the part at all. Too big, too unwieldy, too tippy. Only finally banged into the sink that I was already seriously worried. Around the washbasin, not the bottle. A variant in the style of Juwel for him would be a much better solution.

And so in the end, despite the somewhat odd name and quirky flacons, a very fine representative of the men's fragrances category remains. One who made it from zero to a hundred in my bathroom.

One where I can recommend a test without restriction.

7 Comments
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Chizza

273 Reviews
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Chizza
Chizza
Top Review 15  
Birch cypress bergamot leather and a pinch of pepper
Sometimes there are crucial questions, as here as commentator: to compare with Aventus or not? This is almost obvious when I look at the numerous requests to speak here. Of course, this is only a rhetorical question, because only when comparing the head notes this may be the case, at least olfactorically. I share this opinion only conditionally but I will not see any further similarity here. Nevertheless: a perfume, that is discussed as a complete work. Anyway, I'm no friend of talking about absolute comparability etc. when the lowest common denominator is congruent.

But even the top note is not quite right, because the Royal Vintage brings the slightly peppery note very early, which complements the bergamot in a refined way. Anyway, this one seems a bit harsh, no comparison to the pineapple prelude. This one seems greener, less citrusy on the nose, more in terms of effect.
So far, so good. Now what happens next? For me, with a note reminiscent of birch. I suppose the leather given should correspond to this birch note. In any case, it's suspected that it's leather... This smell develops and becomes more and more pleasing. Slightly the part reminds me of the citrus leather of AdP but only slightly. The leather here is not as dark in comparison. The cypress may also be responsible for this, which makes the result appear spicy and probably lightly resinous, which directs the leather smell into the appropriate channels.
So I'll be brief: no Aventus, no Orion, rather Armaf in not artificial and not stinging but it's not that one either. Royal Vintage reminds me of the above mentioned fragrances but is not identical. Too different are the contents, too different are the effects and sometimes you just have to take your time before comparisons are made. Not every leather smells of TF, even if there is raspberry in it. Not every scent with citrus and birch smells like Aventus.
For me this is a great leather chord, spicy, citric, rather light than dark. Finely composed and thus wearable in spring and possibly in summer.

Unfortunately, I have to make one comparison after all. I prefer leather and would like to have only one more fragrance of this fresh and tangy kind. Therefore Orion has to give up the place on the watchlist for comparison ;)
8 Comments
6
Pricing
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Altholz

37 Reviews
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Altholz
Altholz
Helpful Review 7  
Immergeher!
Gosh, I was looking forward to this scent. Yes, again a blind purchase, but I just can not leave it. In advance: no flop!

The flacon I find at first and also second glance very good. Rough metal and the cap sits perfectly!

The first spray reveals as first with me, as unfortunately so often with many men's fragrances, pure citrus! Who actually told the perfumers that almost all fragrances must have this opening? If I want to have a woody-spicy fragrance, then I do not want to have to smell me first through almost an hour lasting citric freshness... No, I expect that from the beginning!
From the cited pepper I can also perceive quite little at the beginning, at best very far in the background.

The much-cited comparison with Aventus I can also only partially understand, if then only at the beginning, because here the pineapple shines by complete absence, which is also good so!

In the drydown then really reveals the complete fragrance as absolutely noble and pleasing. Fortunately, I perceive here as good as no leather, but rather a very lightly peppered cypress with a touch of musk, the patchouli is not really there. Somehow I also smell some cedar , although not listed as an ingredient. Now, in the skin-closer last phase, the fragrance seems to me yet very familiar... Et Voila: the Tom Ford Noir Anthracite 80% similar and that's one of my favorite!

Conclusion: succeeded, despite the initial citricity!
2 Comments
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Minigolf

308 Reviews
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Minigolf
Minigolf
Very helpful Review 12  
Shadows in the twilight
A grassy landscape, twilight of the evening. Huge, bizarrely grown trees stand out against the almost dark blue background. Only vaguely still the recently set sun is to be guessed. The pale purple, far on the horizon to the west.
Crickets begin to chirp, and the concert can be heard far and wide. Fine fog rises from the bottom. They announce rain, the air is humid.
Fragrances wafting along, green fragrances, those of cypresses and evergreen trees of life. A touch of damp earth.
The trees stand relatively far apart and allow a view of their entire height.
One seems to wave like a fairy tale giant with the "hand".
Another one wants to mime a big dog with an open muzzle.
A third one, with a double trunk, seems to be stomping towards the viewer.
Everyone has his or her own form, reason to interpret and to create evening "daydreams". And this "dark" scent, inimitable in its uniqueness, reinforces these impressions even more. I see and smell the "Griesheimer dunes", just such a grassy landscape overgrown with pines and junipers. I can feel it. Sometimes I visit her until dawn. My way home is not far.
This "Royal Vintage" hits the spot with its fragrance. Is strong and long-lasting.
Until the long shadows become twilight, and the "shadow figures" emerge towards the horizon....
2 Comments
5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
4
Scent
Drseid

819 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
6  
Micallef Jumps On The Aventus Badwagon (Bandwagon)...
Royal vintage opens with a synthetic pleasant smelling pineapple accord with an underlying almost red apple-like undertone and a hint of smoky birch. As the scent enters the heart phase the pineapple remains in a slightly more subdued state while the smoky birch increases in strength and becomes the real star of the scent through the rest of its life-cycle. Royal Vintage is completely linear and once the birch appears in full force in the early heart that is pretty much what the scent offers throughout. Projection is very good and longevity is excellent at 12 hours on skin.

What a complete disappointment. Ignore the inventive list of notes Micallef provides, as this is really very much an obvious Aventus type "me too" release with its synthetic pineapple and smoky birch driven linear tandem. The truth is Micallef does a very good job of capturing the spirit of Aventus, with Royal Vintage tilting more to the smoky birch instead of the pineapple. Royal Vintage also keeps the performance aspects of Aventus relatively well-intact with projection and longevity both not quite as strong, but almost there. Potency is if anything even stronger than Aventus to my great chagrin. The bottom line is as I dislike Aventus primarily due to its smokiness that wears you down over time, it should come as no surprise I really dislike Royal Vintage and Aventus is more balanced and smoother in comparison. This ridiculously redundant similarly priced release of an already barely average scent gets a poor 2 stars out of 5 and an avoid recommendation unless you are an Aventus fan that wants more smoke and does not want to worry about potential batch inconsistencies.
1 Comment
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Statements

2 short views on the fragrance
NicheOnlyNicheOnly 11 months ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Opens Aventus-like, but the smokiness begins to dominate and it starts to resemble a less-citrusy take of Amouage's Search. Masculine.
0 Comments
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 2 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Aventus vibes no doubt about that. However this one is more on the green herbaceous side and a bit darker overall. Well made overall
0 Comments

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