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The Merchant Of Venice 2001

7.6 / 10 199 Ratings

A popular perfume by The Merchant Of Venice for women and men, released in 2001. The scent is smoky-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Smoky

Spicy

Woody

Resinous

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Yemenite frankincense

French lavender

Persian elemi

Heart Notes

Egyptian cumin

Moroccan chamomile

Egyptian geranium

Guatemala cardamom

Coriander seed

Base Notes

Birch tar

Mysore sandalwood Amber

Amber

Atlas cedar

Canary Islands juniper Oud

Oud

Perfumer

Lyn Harris

Ratings

Scent

7.6199 Ratings

Longevity

7.0155 Ratings

Sillage

6.2158 Ratings

Bottle

7.8163 Ratings

Value for money

7.520 Ratings

Submitted by Chipsy, last update on 06/25/2025.

Interesting Facts

From 2014 onwards, the fragrance was designated with the addition Classic.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

La Fumée Intense

Smoke

Elemi & Ambre Noir

La Fumée Ottoman

Versilia Vintage - Boisé

Passage d'Enfer

Reviews

13 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/17/2012

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 2

A Multilayered, Nonlinear Woody Oriental (also beautiful)

Miller Harris LA FUMEE is a beautiful, complex, woody oriental perfume. There are lots of characteristically strong components in this composition, but they are blended together most harmoniously. I would definitely call this a unisex creation, as there is no reason to restrict it to men! True, this is not sweet or floral, but it's also not particularly masculine, it seems to me.

The incense is dominant, but there is so much more going on here, including labdanum and elemi, which impart a richness, and spices such as cardamom, which embellish the incense and woods. Because LA FUMEE is multilayered and nonlinear, I find it difficult to describe. But it is gorgeous and a pleasure to wear. This creation is relatively dark, but not in a heavy, oppressive way. It does seems best suited for cooler weather.

I am very impressed with the potency of this Miller Harris perfume, which I've managed to wear several times from a 1.6 ml manufacturer's carded sample. I have loved every single wear, and this compelling creation is now on my wish list!

09/05/2014

10Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

MasterLi
375 Reviews

MasterLi

Helpful Review 3

A really very beautiful... smoky, creamy and evocative scent.

La Fumée has really really impressed me. I love the note of Amber generally in fragrances, I think it smells amazing on skin. I also love Sandalwood for the same reasons. La Fumée has both in great quantities. The result here is nothing short of sublime.

The fragrance is centred around incense, the main note from which it derives it's name meaning "the smoke". In fact, knowing that the word "perfume" itself comes from the Latin "per fumare" or "through the smoke". I find the naming of this perfume incredibly apt and very fitting.

The central note of Frankincense is joined by dry Papyrus and sweet Elemi Resin, backed up by Coriander, Caraway and Cardamom. It's incredibly exotic and very evocative. The other main player here is the Labdanum, which is a component of Amber in most fragrances, and this is a soft, sweet smell which combines with creamy Indian Sandalwood to create a gorgeous effect on warm skin. This fragrance is dry but sweet, and this is a great combination, as it is not cloying like most other perfumes. It's very wearable and at almost any time of year.

I see this as a fantastic creation from perfumer Lyn Harris. Warm, dry and soft, yet sweet at the same time. It has an Eastern vibe which recalls the incense used in spiritual rituals but also the sweet amber and herbs which play really well on skin to make it very warm and inviting. I think the person wearing this would be very approachable, mysterious and sensual.

In short, I cannot recommend this highly enough. A highly well made creation and one certainly worthy of it's price.

04/25/2014

4Scent

Tinctureall
94 Reviews

Tinctureall

3

Nice gentle blend on the spicy bun side.

Jasmine, incense like frankincense in a spicy Moroccan market. Baskets of nutmeg or saffron with a resinous quality like tolu balsam but not so sweet. Very nice blend with a nice herbal twist. Warm bread dough and spicy smoke. Cinnamon, cloves and dried fruit buns on a camp fire made from wood. Not dissimilar to a Serge Lutens accord here. Slightly sweeter than I might like but not too sweet. It stays a bit too near the spiced buns for me. I like the rest but not the sweetness. The overall composition is well balanced and is moderately gentle.

I'm on a Miller Harris frenzy and feel that 'polite' would be a word I would apply to the house style. It would be really interesting to see what might become of her blending one day with a really, really naughty hat on.

05/02/2020

7.5Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

Iseabail
25 Reviews

Iseabail

1

A meditative scent

A very pleasant and introspective fragrance. The smell of the aromatics can be confused with oregano in the first few minutes then it is clearly elemi and the mix of spices. (cumin, coriander, cardamom)
This is a beautiful scent albeit a little light. It is perfect for lovers of resinous and aromatic woody scents. It smells like high quality resins, not like smoke. (slightly churchy)
It needs to be applied liberally for full effect! It is quite affordable on the gray market so why not! Projection is about an arm's length for the first three hours and skin scent afterwards so the longevity is not fantastic.

06/25/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Elegant woods and resins

It's funny how sometimes it's the fragrances you love and wear the most are the ones you never bother to write about. I'm on my second bottle of this elegant woods and resins concoction, and yet now when I sit down to put pen to paper, I realize I've never really analyzed the notes. La Fumée performs quietly in the background of your day, like smoke from incense or oud embedded in the fabric of your clothes. It starts off on a greenish frankincense note, like crushed pine needles, pepper, and lemons, and that fresh, masculine vibe continues for much of the scent.

Wafting in and out of the composition is a light smoke note from a combination of the cade and birch tar, but there is also a dry labdanum in the mix, performing its teetering act between tinder-dry paper that's about to catch fire and liquid tar. Creamy sandalwood takes over from the piney, terpenic facets of the frankincense, nudging the scent into a faintly sweet-and-sour sweat direction. But none of that describes how easy this scent is to wear, or how pleasurable in its humming-in-the-background way. Whereas other resin scents hit you over the head, this one wears like an elegant, transparent veil that exists only at the corner of your field of vision. It's small but perfectly formed.

More reviews

Statements

40 short views on the fragrance

Hajuvana

9 years ago

9.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

3

Don't expect smokiness - all you get is a tiny whiff that comes bundled with amber. Instead, prepare yourself for some heavenly coriander!

Saradonin

3 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 4Sillage

2

Polite frankincense spiced with cumin and coriander. Well rounded and unobtrusive.

Hermesh

10 years ago

8Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

2

Beautiful tender incense, delicately spiced (cardamom, coriander), put on cedar and creamy sandalwood.

MaddieILF

1 year ago

9Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

1

my favourite perfume so far by far, i wish i could buy 10 bottles of this so id never run out, so sad its discontinued :((

Frankcrummit

2 years ago

1

After Cardinal or LAVS this seems positively watered-down: ideal if you want your incense understated with just a pinch of spice.

Modus

4 years ago

1

Mellow smoky scent, coriander quite prominent, smells like a warm and beautiful autumn.

Schalkerin

3 years ago

7.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

39

50

Gently incense-scented lavender
herbs spicily blend with the beautiful,
woody amber oud base.

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Floyd

5 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

31

26

Softly
Balsam resins sneak
Veils of incense and spices
Lavender glows from small lanterns
On dark woods
Amber and sandalwood

Translated · Show original

Pollita

4 years ago

7Scent 8Sillage

23

15

For my taste, it's a bit too classic with its lavender and geranium. Still, a fine, not too sacred incense.

Translated · Show original

NuiWhakakore

4 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

22

20

Lavender hisses in the fire bowl
Resins bubble in spicy tar
Amber-red the glow from wood
the column of smoke bright in the dark sky

Translated · Show original

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Discussions

Topics about this fragrance in the forum

DieNase 12 years ago

Perfumes & Brands

la fumee by Miller Harris

Thanks! I may have the opportunity to try it in a few weeks on my Christmas leave in Germany. So I will be patient and not risk a blind buy although it sounds super tempting. Outdoorsy campfire and amber sounds...