Spiritueuse Double Vanille Guerlain (2007)

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Top 8 in Unisex Perfume

8.6 / 10 566 Ratings

Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men and was released in 2007. The scent is gourmand-sweet. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.

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Perfumer

Jean-Paul Guerlain

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Pink pepper, Frankincense
Heart Notes	Bulgarian rose, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang
Base Notes	Vanilla, Benzoin, Rum

Ratings

Scent

8.6 (566 Ratings)

Longevity

8.3 (435 Ratings)

Sillage

6.8 (433 Ratings)

Bottle

8.8 (404 Ratings)

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 31.05.2020.

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Reviews

03/08/2020

9.5
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

Taurus1967
3 Reviews

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Taurus1967

Top Review 19

The vanilla reference scent - double holds better

In the past winter as well as in the course of the last few years I have been able to smell several vanilla scents. Among them some really excellent masterpieces such as Cuir Beluga by Guerlain, Seta by Moresque, Vanilla by Franck Boclet or Vanilla Patchouli by Molinard.

So far so good. Due to the variety of vanilla scents, unfortunately I can't get to know and test them all. But the best candidate for the candidate for the uncrowned vanilla king for my taste so far might be Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain.

The reasons are as complex as the eau de parfum itself. On the one hand, you get a high-quality vanilla as it is in the olfactory picture book. Absolutely natural, not too sweet and still intense enough.
A little spice and incense around it, so that you find a slightly woody and smoky support, which makes the fragrance a little more masculine and distinctive.

Add some benzoin, which has a balsamic effect, but spiritueuse double vanilla still appears gourmand. The same can be said of rum, which is used very discreetly, but is perceptible. Finding the right adjustment here will probably have been one of the biggest challenges.

After all, and this is another reason, no one less than Jean-Paul Guerlain "the nose" the last heir of the dynasty personally lent his hand to this creation. The perfumer of classic milestones from Arsène Lupin, Chamade, Coriolan, Derby, Eau de Guerlain, Habit Rouge, Héritage, Nahema as well as Samsara has shown once again why he is one of the greats. And with Guerlain, you can assume that at least under his direction, you don't just stir something together, but that you carry out every step with a lot of thoughtfulness, professionalism and quality.

Even though the other perfumes in the "L'Art et la Matière" collection are all almost perfect scents and have their justification, Spiritueuse Double Vanilla is the only one with the signature of a guerlain.

The Amerena cherry on top of the vanilla icing on the cake is still the right choice in terms of projection, durability and bottle design. I would venture the thesis: you can't make a vanilla fragrance any better than this.

18 Replies

01/20/2020

9.5
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

Parfümlein

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Parfümlein

Helpful Review 7

Challenge stragglers: Another step on the way to "my" vanilla scent - January 21, 2020

A straggler! Who would have thought that I could still enjoy a - very, very generous - sample of SDV! At this point a very big thank you to Odeur23! Since so much has already been written about this wonderful fragrance, and yet it still needs to receive a little comment as part of my vanilla challenge, I'll just say this much: it's quite wonderful and yes, it can best be compared to Eau des Missions, which - what a coincidence - came into the house as a bottle on the same day. However, I don't find it much less sweet; both are very reserved in their own way and by no means equipped with a dominant sweetness (I had already written in my commentary on "Eau des Missions" that there are also slight after-shave hints). So SDV is not carried by sweetness, but by a multi-layered aroma; clearly noticeable are the quite fresh prelude and the slightly flowery notes, but I hardly feel the incense, which I think is mainly responsible for the dark depth, the minimal smoky touch. That's really great perfume art, of course, to hide the individual components and yet reveal that the overall impression wouldn't work without them - vanilla isn't naturally smoky and dark. This is so wonderfully done! Oh yes, it was a vanilla scent: the vanilla itself is completely present, very fast, very beautiful in team with benzoin, it is a caramel brown vanilla. Guerlain has succeeded fantastically in creating this gourmand note without exaggerated sweetness. Spiritueuse Double Vanilla is similar to Dior's Fève Délicieuse, a spicy gourmand that remains transparent. Visualized, the fragrance, like that of Dior, presents itself as a veil, as a fine breeze, not as a massive block, which is the case with many gourmands despite their fantastic notes. Spiritueuse Double Vanilla, on the other hand, is ethereally delicate and for this reason actually perfect: wearable everywhere, not intrusive, but still with an impressive silage as well as a really good durability. It's a pity that I couldn't test this fragrance earlier, but it's wonderful that it has come to me now!
And there is another one: Tomorrow I can still test Eau Duelle by Diptyque!

5 Replies

05/08/2018

9.5
Scent 8
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

DonJuanDeCat

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DonJuanDeCat

Top Review 15

A double vanilla to... uh... drop the throat??

Unbelievable... I often write that I like Guerlain and find this L'Art et la Matière series especially great. And then I haven't commented on this scent yet? Honestly, before my comment here I haven't even tried it yet!

I don't know why, either. It is possible that when I stand in front of these scents (which, of course, are in the women's department in spite of unisex information, just to make life difficult for me!!) I usually spray on the same scents here: The Tonka of the empire... forgive me, of course I meant Tonka Impériale (I'm just in Star Wars fever again, because I'm watching the Rebels series, the new movie "Solo" will be released soon and I'm already quiet...). The second fragrance I like to test over and over again and what I hope will come into my collection sometime is Néroli Outrenoir (which is also VERY typical for me, because the fragrance is citric fresh AND has a nice tea note!).

Anyway, I can well imagine that the vanilla scent here also smells great, maybe even divine and therefore I am very curious! And luckily I have a sample of the scent here, so I don't have to spray the scent on me in public in this hot weather. That's why I don't pull a big vanilla cloud behind me in public, which would have been embarrassing for me, because the fragrance smells quite feminine. And with the warm weather, you somehow notice much more quickly where a fragrance comes from. And since I still have to drive the suburban train and bus (and our buses here are hopelessly overcrowded), I don't want to radiate a huge vanilla cloud from me and draw all eyes to me, aaaah... I have really strange worries sometimes...! Because this is almost as embarrassing to me as when you... well, fart (but quietly), and it suddenly starts... "strange" to smell unpleasant :DD

The fragrance:

The fragrance starts with a wonderful, sweetly powdery vanilla note as well as a somehow really nice matching rum note, which almost makes you drink the fragrance :D
Pink pepper and beautiful, fluffy incense can also be heard, which also fit very well here in the fragrance. Ah, unbelievable, how great the fragrance smells with the combination of vanilla and rum, benzoin makes the fragrance even more beautiful and softer, and somehow the vanilla smells beautiful as always, but also slightly different, which is hard to describe, but probably the reason why the fragrance seems so especially beautiful to me, oh, you just have to test it yourself. The interaction of all scent components here is fantastic!
Over time, the fragrance becomes a little heavier and I smell floral notes in the background. This could well be the Ylang-Ylang, even if you can't smell it out so exactly.
Even later you still smell a great vanilla with still a little rum, the fragrance remains powdery soft, but gets a barely noticeable, but still great "spicy" note. Oh and I still have the feeling that I smell a little bit of tobacco in the later base, at least for a short while, before it smells like powdery soft vanilla until the end, as so often.

The Sillage and the shelf life:

The Sillage is, with the exception of the Aufspühen, almost moderate, well, a little bit better than that. To be honest, I expected a lot more from a vanilla fragrance than from a smaller fragrance cloud.
But the shelf life is quite long. Sprayed in the evening or late afternoon, I could still smell the scent until the next morning.

The bottle:

The bottle is rectangular and high. On one side it has a golden label or badge with the name of the fragrance on it and the Guerlain logo on it. The fragrance liquid is also golden, as is the neck of the bottle, where the black and cylindrical lid is attached, if the light pump sprayer is not screwed on. With the pump ball, the bottle looks much nicer, but I must also say that it is much more difficult to handle than with the simpler spray head. Anyway, the bottle is very nice.

Ohoo, the scent is beautiful! If he had been a little stronger, he would have got 10 points from me! Maybe the fragrance can be a little exhausting for some people (mainly because of the powder and vanilla notes), but it is a nice fragrance, and all those who don't get a headache from it in the long run will find a wonderful fragrance, as I said, which is especially suitable for going out in autumn. During the day it could be a bit exhausting in the long run (in spite of not sooo strong Sillage), unless you spray it really discreetly and not like some in the fragrance departments from top to bottom, you can do that when going out :D

Vanilla fans should,... no, definitely HAVE to sniff in here to make sure they don't miss a thing. The only question is whether the fragrance is actually unisex. That's a little hard to answer. Because you can't ask such questions here at Parfumo, because you always answer the same thing: "Wear what you want!", even if that should be true :D
But seriously, even though rum has some masculine approaches here, I still find the fragrance rather feminine, especially in the base.

Soo, I finally tested this fragrance with it. Now I have tried over 80 Guerlain fragrances so far and I have to say that this brand does not get boring for me. At the risk of sounding like advertising, I'd like to say that Guerlain is already a really great brand for me, creating good exclusive fragrances as well as offering beautiful mainstream fragrances. For me this could go on forever, I am looking forward to the next 80 Guerlains... but unfortunately 60 fragrances will be pure women's fragrances again, which will be extremely difficult to test *SEUUUUFZZZZ* ..

4 Replies

02/28/2018

MasterLi
371 Reviews

MasterLi

Helpful Review 2

Deep, dark Vanilla...

Now, I must start by saying that I have tried the other fragrance that this is compared to, and I really can't find much difference between them! I'm referring of course to Le Couvent des Minimes - Cologne of the Missions.

What I will say, is that Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a much darker fragrance. The rum, balsams and tobacco really add depth to this fragrance. The performance and longevity are good and it lasts for most of the day with me (but is not the strongest). I don't find this one completely gourmand however. I think it's very wearable in many different scenarios (all year round).

I find the fragrance great for people who love the house of Guerlain as it has their signature vanilla accord. I think gourmand lovers would also like it as well, however for everyone else I think there are other fragrances that do what this does, and which come close to what this does, for less. In that regard, unless someone is a collector or a fan of Guerlain, I can't see this being worth a full purchase. I do recognise that this was a big hit for Guerlain and many people loved it when it came out, but I feel that gourmand and oriental fragrances now are diverse enough with vanilla that you can get more value for what you pay for in terms of a vanilla fragrance. It's a great fragrance though, that is for sure.

2 Replies

04/16/2015

10
Scent 3
Longevity 3
Sillage 10
Bottle

ScentedSalon
96 Reviews

ScentedSalon

Woe Vanilla

Darn you SDV, you last too little on me. Your opening sweet rum and caramel swirl enchants me but it is gone too soon. You don't project! For a price like that, you'd better. I love you all the same, and will spray you liberally until you finish and will keep the bottle to remember you by.

03/08/2014

6
Scent

Dalmajen
45 Reviews

Dalmajen

Top Review 11

Double Disappointment

Double Disappointment
Finally! My lovely big decant arrived in the post this morning. I have had this on my wish list for ages, and finally had the chance to purchase a decant from a fragrance buddy. Of course I purchased it untested! This is the icon of vanilla perfumes! I have read so many glowing reviews, I couldn't possibly go wrong buying it blind. After all, I adore vanilla, and this is portrayed as a Holy Grail! Oh..how the tables turned on me! I sprayed it, and straight away I got a blast of vanilla essence, laced with rum. Ok, this is just the beginning..let's wait till the creamy, dreamy vanilla kicks in! It probably has to develop, as this is the Queen of all vanillas, after all! Four hours later..still waiting, and nearly in tears at the utter disappointment! Not even a trace of rose, nor a hint of jasmine..just a low quality vanilla soaked unbaked rum ball. Oh where is the luscious,elegant vanilla that is in my Shalimar Ode a la vanille Madagascar? I feel so let down. It must be my skin, chemistry, nose, or something I just can't fathom! I must be one of the very few people on the planet that doesn't adore this fragrance! I am almost ashamed to write this review, and in actual fact, did delete the first one, as it sounds so unbelievable that I'm not weak at the knees from this perfume. I am, however, not sorry I purchased this decant, as I would have been always sorry I never had the chance to experience it. But I've learned one thing..Double the anticipation, double the disappointment! P.S. This was posted in the German reviews, by mistake, so ignore the fact that is says German review...I can't write German anyway! (wish I could :)

10 Replies

12/26/2012

8
Scent 7.5
Longevity 5
Sillage 5
Bottle

Drseid
723 Reviews

Drseid

Near Reference Vanilla...

SDV, like Les Nombres d'Or Vanille from Mona di Orio is not of the sickeningly sweet or powdery kind of vanilla making it a welcome rarity among most I have tried. My first impression was of a very mildly sweet rum, natural vanilla bean, and maybe even a bit of tobacco after about 20-30 minutes in. I definitely like it and could see why others would consider it their favorite. It is very similar to MdO's Vanilla, but that one is a bit drier throughout, and has stronger vanilla bean and dry rum notes, minus the tobacco IMO. SDV is an excellent vanilla to be sure and earns a stellar 4 out of 5 star rating.

01/20/2012

5
Scent 7.5
Longevity 7.5
Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Dark, Boozy Vanilla Extract--Twice

Straight out of the vial, while still wet on my skin, Guerlain SPIRITUEUSE DOUBLE VANILLE smells exactly like vanilla extract. High-quality bourbon vanilla extract, but vanilla extract all the same. A few seconds later, a dark and dirty demeanor shows its face—so dark that I thought ever-so briefly that it might be leather, but it appears to have been frankincense. The next somewhat surprising development is the emergence of something sour and unpleasant. I do not know what accounts for it, but it definitely disrupts my positive experience of this perfume for a couple of minutes. After that, all of the excitement dies down, and I find myself wondering whether this was really launched by Guerlain—until I remember that Guerlain is not Guerlain anymore.

I'm not really sure how or why anyone would find this composition similar to TF TOBACCO VANILLE, which opens with far more richness and depth to my nose, and eventually dries down to a primarily raw pipe tobacco perfume. SPIRITUEUSE DOUBLE VANILLE focuses much more, in contrast and as advertised, on vanilla. The drydown is nice enough (the sourness of the midstage has largely subsided), leaving me with the overall, lasting impression that this is a fairly respectable niche vanilla, albeit nothing to get too excited about. Consequently, I'll not be competing for the no doubt limited number of bottles of this perfume in existence. Enjoy!

1 Replies