Gaiac
by Martine Micallef

Micallef's astoundingly great offering is true to its name. Gaiac is a warm and enveloping blend of guaiacwood and cloves that are accented by a smoky vanillaic sweetness that lasts till the drydown. The slightly boozy opening morphs into a medicinal undertone in the heart that combined with the smokiness of gaiac and a touch of vetiver, (most likely the Javanese variation) creates an effect similar to the burning of incense sticks. With excellent longevity and decent sillage, Gaiac is simply a joy to wear, especially in cooler weather.

After testing it against Le Labo's uber-exclusive Gaiac 10 and Giacobetti's "gone-in-60-seconds" clove and gaiac-prominent Chaman's Party, Micallef's Gaiac is clearly still the winner. I just had to pull the trigger and go for a full bottle. Highly recommended for sampling, though it may not be a good thing for your wallet.

Mesmerizing, ethereal woody fragrance. Smells very subtle and beautiful. Well made by talented perfumer.

The official notes are Bergamot, Jasmine, Cloves, Gaiac, Vetiver and Vanilla. However, this list won’t in fact give you the idea how this smells like; believe me, those notes are very misleading.

I can’t smell nearly all of those notes separately at all, and I will not take seriously anyone who makes such a claim….
This is extremely smooth creamy wood scent with terrific, softly smoky edge. The impression is somewhat very nutty. Sillage is quite minimal, lasting power okay.
Besides nuts, the smell of Gaiac brings mainly two things in my mind: The colour of beige, and a distant whiff of some fast food restaurant that smells fresh donuts along with other stuff.

This is pleasurable unisex fragrance. Easy to wear anywhere-anytime, but it never gets boring. Can be very soothing if you’re into it.

Highly recommend for anyone to try to see what very minimalistic and wonderfully blended woody fragrances are all about at their best.
I am not sure this is worth the exclusive price, though. It’s very very expensive and it’s hard to swallow even when you would get a wonderful high-quality bottle along with the marvellous juice.


I like this house overall. It has a very sympathetic and homey feel to it.

If you've ever opened a genuine Russian stacking doll and had a waft of the smell inside, you know what the first spray of this scent is like. Creamy, sweet, caramelised undertones quickly come into play and the perfume doesn't seem to evolve much from there. It is a pleasant, sweetened woody scent.