When composing Vanille, Mona di Orio imagined a romantic back story involving an old ship from long ago, on its way to Madagascar or the Comoros Islands, carrying precious cargo: rum barrels, oranges, vanilla beans, ylang-ylang, cloves and sandalwood.

Gourmand, smoky, and boozy with a subtle aromatic orange note lingering in the background, Vanille is one Bateau Ivre of perfectly blended notes that will derange your senses with its sensuality.

Vanille opens with a shot of rum flavored with an orange rind and spiced with cloves. Amber and tonka further warm up this brew as ylang-ylang's sharp sweetness joins with rich vanilla. Gaiac wood adds incensey smoke as woody notes from vetiver and sandalwood help to create an elegant finish.

But the real star of the show, not surprisingly, is vanilla. Instead of using ethyl vanillin, one of vanilla's main components that can come across as powdery and sugary, Mona di Orio used pure vanilla in this elixir. For a moment — amid this elegant orchestral arrangement of notes in the key of Vanilla — the pulpy, sensual creaminess of a split vanilla bean is right there in front of your nose. Delicious!

Notes
Brazilian orange, Indonesian cloves, petit grain, rum extract, Bourbon vetiver, ylang-ylang, Indian sandalwood, gaiac wood, Vanilla absolute from Madagascar, amber, tonka bean