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Les Gourmandises

Macaron Bourbon Nicolaï 2024

6.8 / 10 101 Ratings

A perfume by Nicolaï for women and men, released in 2024. The scent is sweet-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Sweet

Spicy

Floral

Gourmand

Synthetic

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bitter almond Davana

Davana

Rum

Heart Notes

Rose

Cinnamon

Clove

Base Notes

Tonka bean absolute Caramel

Caramel

Musk

Vanilla

Patchouli

Perfumer

Patricia de Nicolaï

Ratings

Scent

6.8101 Ratings

Longevity

7.981 Ratings

Sillage

7.680 Ratings

Bottle

7.580 Ratings

Value for money

7.156 Ratings

Submitted by Segel · last update on 01/11/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Les Gourmandises collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum

Tony Iommi Monkey Special

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

07/02/2025

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Itsafineday
5 Reviews

Itsafineday

4

Nicolaï Strikes Again: Dessert From The Outer Space

my favourite from the collection. fantasy gourmand. amped up, as if replicated from memory. macarons intense. frivolous and bubbly. distinct, recognisable approach with some modern tweaks. definitely musky and synthetic, but not too synthetic: think artificial sweeteners. quite rose-forward; not personally familiar with davana unfortunately but apparently it's responsible for adding the tea facets to the rose here. sweet with boozy tinges.

colder environment would seem the most suitable for the proper development, and yet it's unexpectedly enjoyable on breezier summer days when the right mood hits. though i might be biased since i could blissfully wear Oud Satin Mood Eau de Parfum in heat (just 1 spray, i promise) if i feel like it. remarkable lasting power on my skin.

i really have to commend Patricia for keeping on doing her stuff as only she could and trying out new ways to connect with people at the same time. people are being harsh and i can see why: niche (for the lack of a better word) scent profile by itself combined with a controversial execution, but that's what makes it stand out. yum!

Updated on 07/02/2025

01/25/2025

4.5Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

DRKSHDW
173 Reviews

DRKSHDW

2

WHEN YOUR DESSERT DREAMS TURN INTO ROSEWATER TEA

This fragrance is not a true gourmand — don’t let the description fool you! While it's sweet, it leans more towards a fruity floral than anything resembling pastries or bakeries. Supposedly inspired by macarons — the iconic almond cookies — it misses the mark entirely. The almond note? Practically a ghost. Instead, davana and rose steal the show, prancing into the spotlight like they own the place.

If you’re not familiar with davana, this perfume serves as a fabulous introduction. It has a slightly sweet, floral vibe with an intriguing twist of apricot tea. Personally, I love davana, so I did enjoy this fragrance… even though I was expecting something closer to almond-dusted cookies and powdered sugar clouds.

There’s a faint boozy note lurking in the background — rum, I think? — and a soft, classy vanilla in the base. But don’t expect a sugar rush; this vanilla is refined, paired with a whisper of patchouli. It’s mindful, demure, and honestly… kind of forgettable.

Picture this: you open a fancy box of assorted macarons, but they’ve seen better days. The scents are faint, the flavors muted. There’s a rosewater macaron, a rum-infused one, and a tired vanilla that’s past its prime. You pair them with a fruity apricot tea infusion, and voilà! That’s this perfume in a nutshell — a gourmand for people who don’t actually like gourmands.

To be fair, it’s elegant, understated, and pleasant. Still, it’s worth a try if you’re into sophisticated sweetness… just don’t expect it to be the life of the party. It doesn’t project strongly or stick around for very long. Within a couple of hours, it’s like it ghosts you — soft, intimate, and more of a “skin scent” than a room-filler.

10/29/2025

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Vea91
31 Reviews

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Vea91

5

How wrong I was - my journey of confession to Nicolai

First of all - I am a Guerlain fan. When you look at my collection, most of what remains are the Guerlains, and so I couldn't help but become aware of the wonderful personality of Patricia Nicolai. But let’s start from the beginning.

They say "never meet your heroes" for a reason, and as a Guerlain fragrance fan, I read more about the history of the perfume house, and I didn't like much of it. In particular, what was thought back then - that a woman did not belong there as a perfumer, especially not from her own family. That was the beginning of Patricia Nicolai's story and her rocky but incredibly exciting life path. As I learned more about her, my curiosity grew about her fragrance house of the same name - Nicolaï. In numerous games here in the forum, I received and traded some samples, and my evaluations were initially not very enthusiastic. Too old school, too classic, too bitter. But it was also due to my impatience and stressed mood, as there was simply too much to test, and I wanted to get everything done quickly.

What I didn't know back then was that I was so wrong like never before. It's incredible how sometimes the noses are underexposed; I recognized the Guerlain heritage but simply stamped it as a copy, and my curiosity was gone. But then something happened. It clicked in my brain. After numerous, or rather hundreds of samples that passed through my hands, a thought or enlightenment came to me - that I had tested the fragrances too quickly, didn't give myself time, and that I actually liked some of the scents more than I had assumed. This thought lingered in my mind, and I began to regret having given away numerous fragrance samples too quickly. With a new resolve, I organized a few samples of already tested fragrances and a few new ones. I must say I enjoy reading information about the fragrances here, and everything that is contradictory awakens my curiosity. One such fragrance was Macaron Bourbon.

This beauty was part of the Gourmand line, rather a newer scent, and what I read in reviews slightly deterred me. At the same time, I was very curious, as I love macarons. And I love well-made gourmands even more!

Thought - done, and the sample was organized. This time I took all the time in the world, and one should take their time with the scents of Mrs. Nicolai. They develop, they change, they play, and they are not direct gourmands but rather veiled with hints of the most enchanting sweets.

When I sprayed the fragrance, I was initially perplexed - no macarons in there, but instead sugary sweet roses! And the roses were something else. I like a little rose now and then, but it has to be slightly sweet and preferably not too green. Here, I wasn't hit by roses per se, but by rose jam. As a teenager, I had the pleasure of tasting rose jam, and I smelled it here. Lush sweetness, creamy consistency, simply hmmmm... I also thought it reminded me of macarons, but more of the raspberry flavor, pink rose, and in the middle, rose jam. I tested it once, twice, and with each time it became more sensual, sweeter, more delicious. The scent is very finely composed; it envelops you but does not overwhelm. Over time, it merges with the skin and gives you the feeling of being a delicious treat, but not a dessert, rather a woman in a beautiful sweet cloud. This almost gourmand has class, style, and is above all politically correct, without being overwhelming. The beautiful thing here is that it actually smells different on the skin than solo. I tested the fragrance on hair and skin, and both differ. At the same time, I like both variations.

Now I know better and will rather not trust any reviews too much and test for myself. I have finally found something that replaces Peregrina for me and even smells better than it. I am once again eager to rediscover the house of Nicolai for myself, and this time I will consciously take my time and am already looking forward to what beautiful and interesting discoveries it has in store for me. As for this fragrance - it will most likely move in with me sooner or later.

Updated on 10/29/2025

01/11/2026

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Basti87
1155 Reviews

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Basti87

2

Sweet-spicy fragrance with a lot of rose

Continuing in the Les Gourmandises series from the brand Nicolai by perfumer Patricia de Nicolai. I have already reported on the wonderful Pavlova from this series, and now here is the Macaron Bourbon. Again, you don’t necessarily get a fragrance that you would truly envision as a gourmand, even though the elements are certainly present. I really like the brand, also because you can get the fragrances for a relatively fair price well below the MSRP. The 30ml is already available for under €40, and the large 100ml is just over €100. Absolutely fair for niche standards, especially since you get decent quality here. Although the fragrance may only be moderately received, I will defend it a bit. You don’t get the big "kick" with very unexpected notes, yet it smells really delicious and elegant, with a lot of soft rose present. It somewhat reminds me of the wonderful "Rendez-vous à Milan | Montale," but it is certainly also independent. Overall, it is an easy-to-wear sweet fragrance that is convincing in its entirety.

The uniform bottles are impressive and have the brand's typical charm. Especially the large 100ml bottles are convincing. A great overall picture of the bottle, packaging, and also the fragrance.
The fragrance radiates from the start with a wonderful rose note that comes across as very warm, sensual, and also serious. This rose is complemented by spicy-sweet Davana, soft boozy notes of rum, and slightly sweet almond, which, however, does not overpower the rose. Sweet notes also emerge early in the form of tonka, caramel, and vanilla. Thus, the wonderful vanilla note mixes with the rose, as one often knows it. Nothing really new, but well executed here in an elegant combination that is not too much. I do not see comparisons to the mentioned Tony Iommi, even though rum is also included here. The creation is distinctly sensual with the soft sweetness. Patchouli also comes into play and harmonizes as usual with the rose. Over time, the fragrance becomes softer and ends with a musk base including the sweet-gourmand notes. It is still not a true gourmand despite the elements. I find the fragrance quite harmonious and significantly better than rated here. If you like sweet-spicy fragrances with a lot of rose and soft nuances, this could be a fragrance that fits well. Would I buy it? Maybe. As I said, it reminds me of the Montale that I already have. The fragrance is unisex and relatively suitable for everyday wear in the cooler months, but also due to its sensuality, it is good for the evening and leisure time.
Performance is already positive with at least 8 hours of longevity and also a relatively good sillage. The base becomes a bit softer later, which fits well with this soft ending.

Overall, a great fragrance that doesn’t really have a gourmand aura, but as mentioned, it has these elements. It is indeed a soft rose fragrance with many sweet-spicy and also soft notes. Worth it if you are looking for a crowd-pleaser.

09/13/2025

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Background
38 Reviews

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Background

1

Full-Bodied Rum Note Meets Bitter Almond

These are the ingredients for the opening of Macaron Bourbon, a floral-spicy fragrance from the house of Nicolaï, which will be released in 2024 in the "Les Gourmandises" line along with two other creations. Thanks to Davana, the fragrance gains a sweet-fruity touch that skillfully transitions to the heart note. In the heart of the fragrance, a subtly powdery rose reveals itself, elegantly embedded in various spicy elements such as cinnamon, clove, tonka bean, and also patchouli.

Despite the gourmand name, Macaron Bourbon is not a sugary-sweet scent, as one might suspect or expect. Rather, it is a successful fusion of floral opulence and spicy sensuality with hints of sweetness from caramel, vanilla, and tonka bean in the base, which only subtly contribute to the elegant aura of the fragrance.

Beautiful, pleasant scent and effortlessly unisex to wear.