Nirvana Bourbon Elizabeth and James for women

This smells like a beautiful vanilla bourbon smoked cocktail right after you take away the smoke cloche. It brings to mind an elegant smoking lounge with cigars and leather chairs. This is a hidden gem considering the brand went defunct.

I feel like I am going bonkers here - this scent is, on paper, everything I adore! The reviews have had me waiting eagerly for the postman to arrive with my rollerball! But all I'm getting is 'dentist's waiting room'. There's definitely powder, and eventually a vanilla that mimics an expensive plain vanilla ice cream (not lactic, but a richer vanilla bean rather than a drop of Queen's Extract), but I'm not finding the wood I was excited to see. And sadly not a single curl of smoke! I do think this needs a fair few more tries and across different kinds of weather (I think it might need warmer weather for the wood to shine?) and I'm curious to see how this develops for me over the next few months - but right now I'm waiting in the dentist's chair with a bib on my chest!

Vanilla-drenched cigarettes. Hard pass.

This is a woody and boozy scent that makes me think of someone sipping on a whiskey by a fireplace, on a REALLY nice leather couch. I am OBSESSED! Downside? It dries down to a dirty vanilla quite quick (a nice vanilla though) and it doesn’t last very long on the skin, you’ll have to reapply it throughout the day. Still, this is my first heavy wood fragrance and I will cherish it dearly.
+ The bottle is so bloody sexy!

I happened upon this scent when trawling Fragrance.net and figured I'd give it a go. I don't get smoked ham, but I get where you could. There's a smokiness in there that shouldn't be there I imagine. Unless that's how oak got interpreted. If you ignore the smoke, I can get to the tuberose and vanilla, but they don't combine together for me on the initial opening. I either smell smoke, or not, if I take my mind off of it. Not a blind buy but worth trying if you come across a cheap sample.

Edit - Just came back to say that the dry down is good. It's come together to be a nice scent. Something you can't help but want to smell again.

My worst blind buy.
Smells like smoked ham, just like a previous reviewer said (and WHY didn’t I listen…?)
There’s no tuberose, no vanilla. Some booziness.
Usually I give away or sell stuff I don’t vibe with, but in this case I don’t have the heart nor the conscience to pass this on to some poor unsuspecting soul. Really, I would be ashamed to take someone’s money for this.
So, immediate return.
My advice is if you’re buying into the (incomprehensible) raving about this, test it before purchasing.

A leather couch in a fancy smoking establishment, in the best way possible! I love this fragrance, I remember getting a tester from Sephora back when they carried this line (rip) and felt sad when it ran out, but never went back to purchase it. It did stay on my memories and now that I got a little tester again I remember how much I enjoyed it. Warm and cozy, grown up vanilla and oak barrel without being too “boozy” and overpowering.

I know this isn't a tobacco fragrance, but to me it smells like the perfect feminin tobacco/vanilla scent. I only have the rollerball but recently ordered a bottle from Fragrancex.

This is a lovely warm, boozy and comforting fragrance. For some reason I pick up tobacco as well. The dry down is very vanilla, similar to the vanilla dry down in Nirvana Black. It's definitely unisex but you can easily make it more feminine and beautiful by layering it with your favorite vanilla fragrance. This is perfect for the fall and winter.

it's vanilla for a grown-up , with a woody undertone and rather sweet but not cloying

I had originally bought Black from the Nirvana line when it released and some time later noticed that they had added some new scents. Instantly I was drawn to Bourbon- I’ve always been drawn to vanilla scents. I bought it in the hopes that it would liven Black enough to help me wear without getting headaches or asthma I was starting to get after using it for a while. It did so for a time, but soon enough I just started to wear Bourbon on its own.

This is the first in the line I actually bought a full bottle of and I will say that the difference in the spray and the rollerball, for me, is how boozy it smells upon first spritz. This reminds me of my dad’s friends who used to down one too many beers in our backyard. It.is.BOoZy. Thankfully that goes away rather quickly and we’re left with a very woody, somewhat spicy, but definitely sweet fragrance that feels alternately cozy and chic at the same time.

If you’ve ever seen that photo of Christy Turlington in a camel coat, drenched in gold and brown tones, with perfectly coiffed hair and beautifully applied makeup- that photo is what I imagine the visual representation of this perfume to be.

For a long time I was a huge lover of this scent and applied it liberally and without much care (it’s a very intimate scent- you won’t get a lot of projection with this), however recently I’ve found myself enjoying how it layers with Rose and preferring to wear it that way rather than on its own.

I think this is a beautiful scent, reminiscent of crisp but cozy autumn nights and it works well in the cold weather. Something about it seems off in the summer- not in the way it smells but in the way it feels. I definitely recommend for the colder months and if you can layer it with Black or Rose (and even Amethyst), it’ll definitely add a little warmth to both.

I really do love a good vanilla perfume, and though I've tried most of the very expensive fragrances Nirvana Bourbon is compared to, I still prefer this. It's linear, but complex enough to keep my attention–a high-quality vanilla combined with boozy, woody, and floral facets. I also prefer the fact that NB isn't too sweet. It's truly a vanilla done right. Perhaps the others listed above have better longevity, but I NB is a vanilla with soul. It's cozy, a touch sexy, and intriguing without being challenging.

Goodness this is an odd one. The reviews that mention a speakeasy vibe are right. It is a whiskey in a velvet-walled jazz club kind of feel. But I pick up on zero tuberose and even the vanilla is very faint. It’s wood, but also smoke. And to my nose, that ends up feeling kind of bbq saucy. I think a floral note would balance it nicely so I may try to add some tuberose to it to see if that mellows that smoke note. It’s unique and something about it is alluring so I want to try to make it work. But it’s also very much a skin scent after not long at all.

This perfume surprised me. I'm not into woodsy or vanilla scents but it's unique enough for it to be interesting. The dry down is quite pleasant in a creamy kind if way and it has great performance. If I purchase again it would be a smaller size for my collection.

Dirty woody smoky vanilla! A vanilla for vanilla haters for sure. Opening starts with boozy bourbon, then I get the oak / pencil shavings / metallicy touch that other reviewers mention. Drydown is woody with a dry vanilla; this is not an overly sweet syrupy vanilla like I fear of so many vanilla scents. Very nice and comforting, not too much in any direction.

Becomes a skin scent at like 5 hours in.

A VERY dirty vanilla — heavy oak barrels, heavy booze (leans sweet bourbon / congac), lots of vanilla. IMO (f) totally unisex.

Its kind of all base — no top line, no brightness, I get absolutely no floral.

Quite linear on me — just kind of fades away into a softer version of itself. Projection is solid for 3-4 hours on my chemistry and is a skin scent for a few hours after that. (Note, I am a light sprayer)

While I find it totally fine, I would reach for the far more interesting Architect's Club or Eau Duelle every time.

Bourbon starts off smelling like expensive cognac, but soon the alcohol scent fades and you get hints of oak and a light touch of vanilla. The vanilla is subtle and stays close to skin. It's a bit disappointing because the strong cognac smell doesn't last long and the scent doesn't project much.

Perfect for a crisp fall day.. like a bouquet of sharpened pencils..

I only bought a rollerball of this because it was on clearance. I’m not someone who would be interested in vanilla, especially bourbon. However, I find myself thoroughly enjoying the scent. The woody note was only noticeable to me at the beginning. For the rest of the duration, it’s a sweet and warming vanilla. It’s slightly boozy in as much as you’d get this sense of warmth from alcohol but the smell itself is not alcoholic. I’m not picking up on the tuberose. This is a charming fragrance that lasts the whole day.

Smokey, woody vanilla. A bit boozy. Unisex. A bit linear. Great for fall. I have a giant bottle but I don’t think I will wear much of it. It is a casual scent, yet somewhat serious.

pencil shavings. But .... add a light plum or boozy plum and you'll get Byredo's Bullion.

Oh, the smooth, silky and woody vanilla. So far it's my favourite out the the Nirvana line.

I've recently returned to this fragrance after at least a year of letting it hide away in a dark drawer and I'm a little disappointed by what I'm smelling, and not smelling. But I don't know if it's the perfume or my wonky, post-covid nose, the latter being wildly unreliable.

I remember loving the bourbon vanilla in this one, and how it would settle into the creamy oak. It was always a short-lived scent for me, all the Nirvanas are, but I loved it anyway. Now I get a timberyard, my high school woodworking class, or a bag of sawdust. Then nothing. I'm left a bit sad. I will have to experiment with layering it with something sweet and vanilla.

As someone who loves warm, vanillic, woody unisex fragrances, I totally expected to dig this one, but Nirvana Bourbon reads super dry to me. The woody note is front and center throughout the life of the fragrance and smells oddly of fresh sawdust, as though you just entered an active woodshop with deafening bandsaws spewing hot shavings about. It’s not an unpleasant scent, but it’s too dry and linear and the bourbon vanilla and tuberose don’t pull enough weight to smooth out the fragrance’s rough oaky edges. I’m hoping to discover some layering combos that’ll give this more warmth and depth. On its own, I straight up smell like I just crawled out of a bed of hot sawdust. Across the room, there’s a small table supporting a slim vase of roses and an ornate tumbler of vanilla bourbon and for the life of me, I have no idea how I got here.

This is my favorite wintertime fragrance and I am so sad it has been discontinued. I’m nearing the end of my bottle and am desperate to find something with a similar vibe!

I’m so glad I didn’t let the heavy blast of oak in the opening turn me away from this fragrance because the dry down is amazing. I’m usually not a fan of vanilla notes, but this one is so warm and comforting. There is just enough tuberose to soften the oak and give the fragrance a subtle but sultry and mysterious femininity.

If anyone has found a fragrance similar to this one please let me know!

A smokey vanilla. Absolute hidden gem. smells expensive. Definitely a dark/deep vanilla not too sweet but very addictive and mysterious. does not last long(2-3 hours)

The oak in here is so prominent on my skin, almost comes across like smoke (cigarette) even mixed with a vanilla bomb, the oak overpowers everything but it smells so nice.

I recently bought this as I was trying to find a different fragrance from the Elizabeth James Nirvana Range that I loved. This was definitely not it, hahaha.
This is a warm smoky fragrance that dries down a bit powdery. There is a little bit of sweetness in the opening (it might be the vanilla) that combines with the wood and smoky notes that reminds me of a wood fire barbeque, not exactly something I want to smell like or want to be actively reminded of. It does dry down over the next half an hour to a smoky wood (and looses the barbeque vibe), over the following half hour it further evolves into a powdery, earthy, oak wood scent, and stays that way as it slowly fades away. It's okay, I but I don't over like or dislike it.
The price isn't high on the bottle but the longevity isn't very good on my skin either, even when I try "overspraying". I would say this is a pretty unisex fragrance that you could wear year round, day or night, it really feels like something that would be mood dependent for me.

Burning Match BOURBON VANILLA...

This is fairly linear, but this is how I notice the notes: opens with a burst of bourbon vanilla with sweet, spicy & flinty nuances, that continues & deepens into a vanilla heart with creamy & green-vanilla tones from tuberose, all resting on an oak base. Overall I get a spicy oak-cedar Bourbon & near-Mexican vanilla with a tobacco-like burning match note, combined with a honey dew-drop green-vanilla. In the long drydown, on the skin I get a faint shampoo vibe, followed by a faint spicy-oud-ambroxan. Has reminders for me of Spiriteuse Double Vanille Guerlain, Vanille Noire Laurence Dumont & Zaharoff Signature Tabac. Performance requires a few months of dark storage, after which it's average or slightly above average.

Contrast to Spiriteuse Double Vanille Guerlain:
These are different, but there is an overall similar vibe with different kinds of vanilla. SDV is richer & more complex with superior performance, while NB has the more forward oak-wood & burning match quality.

Contrast to Vanille Noire Laurence Dumont:
These are different, but with a similar spicy vanilla vibe. The burning match quality is more forward in Nirvana Bourbon, but over time it resembles Nirvana Bourbon more & more. Both require a few months of dark storage after first sprays to develop performance.

Contrast to Zaharoff Signature Tabac:
These are different, however the burning match quality is present in both. ZST is richer and more complex, with a more forward honey. ZST also requires dark storage after first sprays, but in the end it outperforms.

Overall: Beautiful spicy Bourbon vanilla scent and average performance with dark storage following first sprays. This is the perfect scent to wear for sublimating your inner firebug. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

I bought this during the start of the pandemic out of curiosity.....I don't even like the twins.....but the name caught my attention so I decided to add it to my cart.

The twins did not disappoint!!! I actually like that the note breakdown is not so complex. And while the scent does become linear, it remains true to the scent of the initial spray....and it's lovely!

I don't get any of the smokiness everyone is talking about. What I'm getting is this aged vanilla...like if the vanilla had been stored in oak barrels (like wine)....I basically forgot that I picked this up because I was drawn to the name "BOURBON"...which I don't get any of either.

All in all, the scent is beautiful, a little deep and blended well.

THANK YOU MARY-KATE & ASHLEY!!!!.....UNCLE JESSE FOREVER!

FOLLOW ME ON IG @MoctezumaC

Purchased this after seeing a couple of Anne Lauren's videos where she reccommended it. I've been on a vanilla kick lately and learned the line were being discontinued so found a bottle from a discounter.

All I pick up right now is tobacco. It smells exactly like opening a wooden box half-filled with cigars. The box also has some small leather fastenings with brass buckles. I don't necessarily dislike it, but I was expecting to pick up more vanilla, which is almost imperceptible to me.

The bottle is freshly opened and currently the season here is transitioning from winter to spring. I tried this on a cold, grey day and visualise this being appropriate for Autumn and Winter, dressed in a white shirt, tailored trousers and a camel coloured wool coat.

I'm going to shelve this bottle until the end of the year, with the hope that the fragrance will mature a bit and the vanilla will develop more. Otherwise, I wonder if this would layer well with Kayali Vanilla 28... that's definitely a combo I will be trying once the colder seasons start again.

**Take this review with a grain of salt, because I’ve only had this fragrance for a couple of weeks, and I think it needs to sit for a few months before I use it again. I’ll have an update in the Fall.**

Nirvana Bourbon is a singular scent for me: Wood chips. Good ones, I might add, so I don’t hate it. However, bourbon vanilla? Not a hint of it. I ended up layering this with (appropriately) Mix:Bar Vanilla Bourbon, which I’ve had for a while, and WOW, did it smell fantastic: warm, sweet, and aromatic. It was pleasurable the way sitting in a hot sauna is on a freezing day. I just need to let this juice mature, and hopefully it’ll develop into something deeper and more sophisticated. I absolutely love the bottle design, regardless.

Update 10/16/23: Just got this out of storage, and it’s a much more well-rounded composition. The bourbon vanilla is still quiet, but now I’m getting whiffs of florals and spice in addition to the wood.

I get the references to Eau Duelle, Cologne of the Missions, and Memoirs of a Trespasser, all of which I own and none of which do I wear often. But this reminds me most strongly of Nero Assoluto. The wood notes in each smell so similar to each other, and the tuberose here would be the analogue to the orchid there. I sold Nero Assoluto because although I like woody perfumes, that one was somehow too-too much for me.

Pragmatically, this reminds me of 4 perfumes I own(ed) and there's really not room for Nirvana Bourbon in my collection. Realistically though, my 12-year-old daughter recently discovered she loves the first Billie Eilish perfume and the vanilla category in general. She sniffed this one and I think she fell in love. I'll most likely just give Nirvana Bourbon to her and steal a spray or two if I feel like revisiting it.

I came across a rollerball travel size of this perfume at TJ Maxx and picked it up for 6.99. I instantly fell in love with this fragrance as to me, it smells like a combination of old books and smokey vanilla. I can understand how many would not want to smell that way, but I love the smell of old books/antique stores/etc...so this is super comforting. I'm super sad to find that this line has been discontinued, so I will be trying to buy some full bottles off the second hand market. As far as lasting power, this lasted a good 6-8 hours on my skin, but stayed close to me. This is one of the best "cheapie" perfume purchase I have made. Super happy!

this to me is the perfect vanilla scent, earthy, warm, not too sweet, slightly woody. i love it so much, wish i got the full instead of the 50ml 🥲

On my skin this smells like a barbeque. It has the same type of smoke you would smell at a barbeque. Not a fan. I don't get any vanilla sweetness and don't see any similarity to Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille. I got an authentic sample from FragranceX. Maybe it was a bad batch? Not sure. I got samples of the other Nirvanas, too, and they were fine. But yeah, this bourbon one makes me smell like a barbequed human. Unisex.

Smell: 3 out of 10
Longevity: 8 out of 10

For reference, I'm female.

I am in love with Nirvana Black.. and so of course Nirvana Bourbon has been on my want list for ages. I finally broke down & got a FB and I am very disappointed to say that it’s not for me! It’s nothing like I expected… I definitely get the pencil shavings vibe— zero vanilla/bourbon for me though. This pulls a lot more masculine on me than Black, which would be fine if it were maybe a little more… something, I don’t even know. It’s just missing a lot for me sadly.

Edit: it’s been 5 hours and I can still clearly smell this perfume on my clothes & both my husband & daughter complimented my fragrance today when they normally wouldn’t notice. I’ll admit, it has sweetened a tiny bit, but still not in a vanilla bourbon way and more of the tuberose floral kind of sweetness and again only the tiniest bit. Ultimately, it is still very much pencil shavings for me and I’m pretty sure I will pass this one along..

Edit 24hrs later.. I had not planned to ever visit this topic again, however this morning I could still smell tiny hints of this perfume on my skin and even some hints of that vanilla bourbon I was missing.. & found myself wanting more after my shower. Day 2 and those pencil shavings now seem like they have more depth, the tuberose is still politely in the corner & the vanilla bourbon warms more & more on my skin as it goes.. here I am slightly charmed. Enough so, that I have decided to keep this bottle after all.

I’m here to say that jajajaja is right.
Layering with Chocolate Greedy pretty much optimized this scent for me. Happy that I’d recently gotten a decant of chocolate greedy.

Love this scent!! The opening smells like clean pencil shavings but as it settles down it smells like leather and vanilla. The vanilla is the backbone of this fragrance and some leathery scent in the background, I can barely smells any woods once it dries down.

This almost reminded me of roses vanille of mancera with its metallic note, but this one is not as heavy on the nose and more wearer friendly. Not a safe blindbuy if you’re easily put off by anything metallic/plasticky.

This is like Nirvana black with bourbon . You definitely get the bourbon and it’s quite sexy , the tobacco note is there too . Slightly less vanilla than black . I can’t decide which I like more . They’re both beautifully unique scents . They smell like you’ve been smoking and sitting in a bakery lol . That sounds weird but they smell sexy to me . I love the smell of tobacco and don’t smoke anymore , this one in particular makes you smell like you’ve been drinking and smoking and then sprayed yourself with vanilla perfume . I imagine Lana del rey wearing this line

4/10

I'm getting petrol fumes with vanilla.

Someone....anyone please explain to me why this isn't unisex. It's marketed to women and yet the bottle isn't feminine in the slightest. I took a risk and purchased this despite not wanting a feminine scent and I was right - there is nothing inherently feminine about this. The tuberose just isn't noticeable, and to me it's just a nice woody vanilla with solid performance that's reasonably priced.

The name of the fragrance hooked me, and I love the E&J aesthetic but this was such a let down.

Initial spray: Pencil shavings
Dry down: Pencil shavings + vanilla

Simple woody with dry vanilla and vague peppery spices, not a sweet scent. I get no tuberose at all. A worthy purchase for the price, smells more expensive than the price would suggest.

I'm not into vanilla but I like this one, because the strong, woody oak balanced the sweetness. The oak becomes stronger and more smoky as the vanilla goes away gradually. That's why I felt it falls towards masculine side.

It is definitely a mature, cool and sexy scent. I won't wear it in work place. I imagine I can wear it when hiking in the fall or when go to a bar.

This is very likeable. It’s a simple but cool girl classy scent, oak and vanilla are the stars here. Fresh and boozy, contradicting notes create a sort of hot/cold experience. Sadly this experience is brief. You are left with a pretty, yet mild, vanilla.

I’d still say it’s good value for money. Wear it for a season. Definitely overspray.

Scent 7/10
Longevity 4/10
Sillage 5/10

Like a lapsang souchong tea latte with a swirl of vanilla. Overwhelmingly warm but with a very smoky edge. Something about this one demands to be worn in a dimly lit art deco cocktail bar. On dry down hours later, a sexy, cozy hug.

I need more. I’ve got a minute of straight alcohol on initial spray, followed by a burst of wood and a hint of vanilla. It does not project. It does not last. I love all the notes in here, so I’m going to try to find a perfume that does this better. I love their Rose scent, but I’m disappointed with Nirvana Bourbon.

Such a sexy smoky vanilla, I feel you have to be grown to appreciate it, not for a teenager…

I love sooo much that both Bourbon & Amethyst are soften with a creamy white floral note. Both are my favorites scents of the whole line. Bold fragrances, bold bottles.

Amethyst is a beautiful tobacco, soften by the honeysuckle while Bourbon is a beautiful woody bourbon vanilla soften with tuberose. So beautiful, unique, fierce & edgy yet so classy & feminine.

IMO, Elizabeth & James fragrances are a vibe all alone. An effortlessy chic vibe with an edgy side, exactly like both Mary-Kate & Ashley.

So so sad, it’s a shame that they discountinued it, I just discovered this beautiful line.

Bourbon & Amethyst will definitaly be my 🍁 fall 🍁signature scents 🍂🖤

I remembered this one as being a sorta smoky, sorta sweet, mainly woody frag, which it is, but my memory of Nirvana Bourbon is richer than my actual sample. My sample is quite old though and I really enjoyed wearing it when it was fresh.

If you like a sweet and slightly smoky woody scent but don’t want it to be crazy heavy, I think Nirvana Bourbon would be one to check out.

I find the Nirvana frags refreshingly simple. Nirvana Bourbon is probably the nicest smoky perfume I've come across. The vanilla smoothes the smoky character out really well. Would be great in cold weather, I'm sure. Tuberose is a favorite and the burying of it here is a nice touch and probably why I can appreciate it. I don't prefer smoky perfumes in general though and it reads pretty masculine, so I gave it my son, who enjoys it.

I got this to try out b/c Nirvana Black was so beautiful the 2nd time I smelled it. Aiiiiiii🥺 It doesn’t work well with my skin for I’m getting Vaseline and some diesel-like smell. I had to wash it off. I’ve got to try it out again some other time later. Maybe it’s just my inexperienced nose.

This is a nice perfume and at first I absolutely loved it, then the basenotes kick in and I get a real tobacco kick. Unfortunately I can't stand the sweet smokiness of tobacco so this isn't for me. It's a love hate.

I had to press my nose to my arm harder than i like to (poor me, i know.) But i do get a beautiful smoky oak, with plenty of vanilla. Leans a little more masculine than I like personally, has a touch of leather or rather rubber. Ms Tuberose has hid behind that smoky wooden stump, not getting any of the florals.

** 180+ niche samples available for a bundle swap UK - check my customs, get in touch! **

My signature scent for the colder months. Woody and smoky like singed oak and burning tobacco. A glass of expensive bourbon in a Victorian gentleman’s lounge. Sophisticated vanilla bean with a hint of creme brûlée, that burnt sugar sweetness. It’s rare to find a woody gourmand done well- this one is a triumph. I can still smell it at the end of a long day, and I get compliments whenever I wear it.

if you want to smell like straight up chopped wood, you'll like this. i hardly get any vanilla, it really just smells like wood. weak longevity. i do like the scent because of its smokiness and i like the smell of wood in general but i would not wear it.

A beautiful dry smoky tobacco vanilla. Unisex for sure. I adore everything about this scent, I just wish I didn't have to over spray as much as I do to get what I want from it. For that reason I have 3 backup bottles, as it is discontinued and I can't be without this one.
I bought Nuit et Confidences Goutal, as I heard it was a dupe and they are very similar. Nuit et Confidences is slightly more floral and less dry. A more "feminine" version I would say. I prefer E & J Bourbon.

My biggest disappointment with this fragrance is how much I paid for it 😭. I thought I got a good deal, but a week after ordering I found all the E&J frags elsewhere for $20 cheaper (almost half the price).
This one is a huge disappointment compared to Nirvana Black (which I love).
It absolutely smells like pencil shavings. Slightly boozy, but not at all sweet.
This had me going through my old reviews because it's not the first perfume I've had with that kind of note.
Giorgio So You is the other one. It has a challenging opening (which also gives it more complexity than E&J), but it settles to sweeter pencil shavings scent than this one.

First blast on the skin this is very spicy and woody. I don't get much vanilla. To me, it smells a bit like an expensive cigar. This is warm and yummy but of the EL scents, I think I prefer Amethyst.

❤️sexy❤️warm inviting

This is a nice tobacco vanilla fragrance. I get a lot of similarities to Cologne of the Missions, Club Black, Herod, and This is Him.

These all fulfill the same vanilla desire and all do the job in an excellent fashion. You can’t go wrong with this fragrance at its price point.

I'm definitely glad I don't get 'hamster cage shavings' from this. Nirvana Bourbon is kind of light though for what I expected. I see this compared to By The Fireplace by Replica and I don't really see the similarities beside them both having the same 'smoky vanilla' composition. By The Fireplace is my preferred scent. It's more complex and on me it's incredibly strong and long lasting. I've have Nirvana Bourbon on for about 2 hours and it's faded significantly. I'm just not impressed by this scent. It's kind of generic and plain. For some, that will be a positive so if BTF was too much for you, but you like the idea of it, maybe try Nirvana Bourbon. It's pretty much what's advertised - oak and bourbon vanilla. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but it's just not remarkable for me and my tastes. There is a nice cloud around me and it's comforting (especially after the misses I have had the last few day).

Bottom line: I'll keep my sample and eventually use it up, but I can confidently say this fragrance is not going on any of my wish lists. If I want this kind of scent profile I will reach for By The Fireplace which works really well on my skin.

This smells like hamster cage shavings. Doesn’t last long either. (Even if you were to like that.) Dry and flat.

This reminds me of my family’s little rustic cabin we always went to growing up. It was full of smells but I think this one is reminding me of old wood moulding on the walls, mixed with a vanilla candle burning on the table. Not terrible, just not for me.

Love this! So worth the price. It's smoky and woody at first but then morphs into a stronger vanilla. I find it interesting and can't stop sniffing my wrists when I put it on. It's got a great booziness to it as well. I bought a sample but will be buying a full bottle.

I think being one of the last generation to actually get chicken pox puts me at a bit of a disadvantage with any woodsy or smoky perfumes, because they have to tread carefully not to awaken the scent memory of sitting in a bathtub full of Pinetarsol and itching. But once the smoky woody opening of this calms down it's a really nice dry wood - aging has taken out the pungent astringent tone. It becomes a skin scent on me before the vanilla really appears, which is sad because it is a lovely, similarly calm vanilla, warm without being overly sweet and gourmand. Do the two notes really play together? No, but they're having a very pleasant conversation.

This is one of the quietest Elizabeth and James offerings I've tried to date. Nirvana Bourbon starts out with a more masculine combination of fresh and smoky wood but becomes progressively soft and sweet. It's a beautifully blended minimalist vanilla fragrance that manages to be interesting and alluring. Tuberose is not my favorite note, but here it adds a beautiful whisper of femininity to the overall composition. NB is definitely more of a skin scent but has decent longevity. It's the perfect fragrance for cold days when you want to feel cozy while being gentle on your nose. I might just need a backup bottle before this fragrance disappears forever.

Interesting. Not particularly enticing. But, I will probably tuck this away for fall wear. I get nothing that suggests bourbon. Just a little bit of fleeting vanilla. The wood is nice. If you like walks in the forest as the leaves are falling, this may work for you. I do enjoy that experience, so I will hang on to this one until next fall at least. I was hoping for bourbon...but no.

I'm glad I bought a sample instead of blind buying the fragrance. The opening is very smoky and tobacco heavy which is not a bag thing but the tobacco note lingers quite strongly throughout the dry down. Not really up to my taste even though Jazz Club by MMM is one of my favorite tobacco-vanilla fragrance. I think Jazz Club nails it by having a boozy vanilla meld with the tobacco note to make it intoxicating which seems lacking here to my nose.

Blind bought this years ago and the only reason why I don't regret the purchase was because mum paid for it lol. It is very smoky, it caught me off guard but in a good way. I'd never owned any woody scents before Bourbon. It is made up of only 3 notes, so it's not a complex perfume by any means, but to my nose the smokiness is very prominent, which I like, but some might not.

Disappointing because it doesn't last at all. Sprayed this and 5 minutes later it's gone. I mostly layer this on top of Dior Poison Girl for a little smoky-sultry confidence boost, which is for me and me only because once I leave the door it's faded. The bottle is very luxe and feels nice to touch, but the lid is loose and won't stay connected to the bottle. Do not hold onto the lid alone lest you drop it.

Smoky cedar wood and vanilla. The smoke is birch tar smoke over cedar, with a tuberose vanilla way way in the back. Mostly I get the birch tar with not much else, so it’s that plastic-smoke smell over wood. Dry down is a much nicer clove/wood vanilla, but not worth the wait for me. My sister really likes it for the woody aspects. It is a dry cold oak wood, not much cuddle in this one even though the vanilla is pronounced.

Beautiful gorgeous bottle! It reminds of a niche or designer fragrance with the whole design. Juice is very nice too!! In my opinion, this one and nirvana black are the best of this line. Maybe amethyst as well.

Anyways, longevity is average. Not good, not bad. Sillage is okay as well. This does remind me a lot of fireplace and maybe vanilla insensee. It is not as smoky/woodsy as fireplace, I don’t feel like I’m a walking talking Christmas tree (what my friend said he smelled when I sprayed by the fireplace on my arm). It is sweet and creamy (vanilla and tuberose maybe) yet rich with some character to it (woodsy notes of maybe oak?). Very well done perfume that I would expect to be priced higher than it is. Like I said, it feels almost niche to me.

Since it is sadly discontinued, prices are sky high online. So sad as I can’t find a bottle for lower than 50 dollars. If you see it anywhere for cheap, buy it asap! It is worth having if you like a true unisex fragrance. Not floral or fruity at all, it stands out in my collection of fragrances ☺️

If you blind buy this, give it some time before you decide whether or not to keep it or return. I found it to be repulsive the first time I tried yet I kept going back to it for some reason. I think it’s that overly smoky opening that made it a bit too much for me at first. Anyways, the drydown is far more pleasant and this perfume slowly grew to be a love for me.

Edit: I had a rollerball of it and loved it sm that I bought a FB (100 mL that’s going for 100 dollars and over online)…why are ppl so horrible when things get discontinued?!

Also wanted to add that this one layers beautifully with almost everything!

Beautiful fragrance. Can’t wait to test it in winter when I think this will truely shine.

On me it opens with a very smoky note, but quickly settles into a comforting, smooth bourbon vanilla. A grown up vanilla. Its not a sickly sweet, cupcake or air freshener vanilla. It’s deep and woody. I can smell the tuberose but it’s not overpowering or bubble gum sweet either, it’s just a lovely creamy floral scent. The veil of smoke remains for the duration and it dries down a little powdery.

It’s long lasting on me, and I find considering the notes that it wears closely to the skin, it’s not loud at all.

The bottle is gorgeous. Dark amber coloured cut glass, in the shape of a flask or possibly a zippo lighter. Reminds me of a vintage glowmesh clutch purse. It’s a very classy looking bottle with a lovely hand feel about it. The fragrance matches the bottle. It’s classy.

For some reason it reminds me a little of Gloria By Cacharel. Gloria has the pink pepper note where this one is smoky. However they smell similar from memory.

Feeling depressed that they have discontinued this line. Bottles are almost impossible to get a hold of now, will search for a back up as all I managed to get was a 30ml.

I do like this but I hardly get any vanilla, more of the wood notes. I’d say there’s a touch of smokiness but it is definitely not over powering. It’s nice for fall and winter.

I do enjoy this one but it is a bit more smoky smelling. Still smells great and better on the dry down.

This is unisex and leaning masculine to my nose. Bergamot isn't listed above but there is bergamot in the opening of this but it quickly fades and turns into oak gently burning in a campfire. This is an intimate fragrance and wears close to the skin. I would love to smell this on a man because the oak wood is so abundant. This is not a sweet fragrance so if you are thinking you are going to get a sweet vanilla w/ wood don't go for this. Again, more masculine and since I would love to smell it on a man instead of my left arm my rollerball is going to belong to my husband. A well done but very linear oak wood fragrance. Would be a great gift for an outdoorsy kind of man.

On the Initial spray, I get cloves. After a few minutes it settles in to a vanilla bourbon and a bit of cedar wood scent, perfect for the fall. While the notes say tuberose, I hardly get any floral in this scent at all. Unisex. Longevity is okay, I can still smell it after a few hours on my wrist. Cozy and Woody. Love the bottles, hence I have most of the line.

The short list of notes in this perfume is the reason I overlooked it for so long - don’t make the same mistake! The wood and vanilla notes are perfectly balanced and somehow deliciously boozy, and the tuberose sets it apart from so many of the other woody vanilla autumn go-to scents. It’s sweet and cozy and perfect for a cold night in, I find that it lasts longer on my clothes than my skin.

A very comforting scent profile to me - calming woods with comforting vanilla that is not too sweet, perfect for autumn days. I really like it however unfortunately the performance and projection is quite weak.

Very pleasant, but weak performance on me, alas. I can see the resemblance to SDV, but this is definitely weaker.

Honestly, this smells so like SDV which I like so I like this too. But it’s not original.

A good dupe if you can’t get SDV.

What a lovely autumnal fragrance this is! I have the rollerball, have had it for years--and I love pulling it out for these cool, transitional months. It is woody, deep, boozy, and sweet. It conjures up images of cozy scarves, leather boots, and bonfires. I can see a man or a woman wearing this. It's such a balanced, well-blended, beautiful fragrance. Nothing synthetic or "screechy" about it. Wish it wasn't discontinued!

This is a stunning fragrance! The opening is pure, sweet bourbon. Once this warms up on my skin though, it becomes a warm, woody vanilla that is intoxicating! Makes for a lovely going-out scent for the colder months! Equal parts sexy and cozy, feminine and masculine. Balanced in every way.

A woman that wears this is confident and mysterious, drinks dark liquor on the rocks and has a wardrobe filled with silk blouses and leather jackets. This is for the sexy, sophisticate who knows what they want and always gets it.

8.5/10

My absolute ultimate signature. Warm woody vanilla & heavenly tuberose that is magic with my chemistry. Many a memory associated with this one. I’ve gone through 3 bottles now and will continue to repurchase as long as I can. Still bitter that the line was discontinued. I love the concept, the packaging, the simplicity of notes, everything. The coupling dry shampoo is worth trying as well.

This is incredible! Very strong woody smell at first, which I imagined to be cedar but is the oak. It does smell like pencil shavings for the first few minutes until the vanilla comes through and balances it nicely. A woody vanilla is a spot on description. It quickly becomes a very smooth woody, creamy and sweet scent and overtime it becomes more vanilla dominant and less woody. This could easily become my new signature! I have sampled SDV and do not find them similar-there is no woody notes in SDV, it is a very strong and vanilla centred perfume. I have used up a 50ml of Midnight Shimmer and can say there are some similarities in the vanilla in the mid to dry down stages, but prefer NB over MS. As I love woody scents I will definitely be getting back up bottles-Nirvana Bourbon has everything I love in a perfume. It does feel fancy and stylish, not something I will pair with casual clothes. Definitely one for the lovers of very strong woody scents.

Many of the reviews here are misleading. Wondering if it's been reformulated.

First spray:
Vanilla extract in not-bourbon. I happen to be obsessed with a good bourbon vanilla from Mexico. This smells nothing like it.

Dries down to:
Cedar wood shavings in a hamster cage. Not that it's a bad scent. I enjoy astringent wood but this is cedar, not oak. It's mixed with...a flower that's not tuberose. It's soapy rose.
The vanilla faded quickly and is now gone. The cedar is still there if I look for it but it's like rose scented soap sitting near a cedar cabinet.
Absolutely nothing like what I expected from the name. I expected buttery sweet vanilla cut with dry bitter fragrant bourbon.
Now, 15 or 20 minutes later and oh... My... G--it's the pencil shaving scent! I've only ever read about it in reviews and now I'm experiencing it for the first time! Wow. So strange! Brings back memories of the debris that built up in my pencil bags filled with safety scissors and glue sticks and peeled crayons. How interesting.

Overall it's okay. A pleasant skin scent. The best part only lasts a few minutes. All the rave reviews sort of describe the first ten minutes. I didn't go anosmic - I had others smell it and all they got was metallic pencil shavings.

This is literally my go-to fall/winter scent! I was honestly taken aback when I first smelled it.. So intoxicating. Warm sweetness but accompanied by a beautiful musk/powdery woods. I receive so many compliments when I wear it. I've never smelled anything that compares! So unique and just amazing. I can't believe this has been discontinued! I will forever re-purchase if possible.

**fun fact: this is basically the night time/fall/winter version of Junoon Noir by Al Haramain

On it's own this is rather 'meh' but blend it with Kate Walsh "Boyfriend" and now we're talkin'!
Autumn/Winter goodness.
✨

I have admired the E&J brand since my early teens (thanks to the enduring appeal of the Olsen twins), and the perfumes have long been on my wishlist. The stackable, book-like aesthetic of the bottles with their cohesive colour palette made it irresistible for me to want to collect them all. However, they were not readily available in Europe then, and it was only this year that I remembered them and bought some online. Unfortunately, blind-buying was my only option.

Nirvana Bourbon is the first I've tried, and what a surprise. This is quite a unique fragrance. The peppery opening is intense, with smoky oak notes to round it out. It has a touch of vanilla, the use of which is unusual - not sweet and very subtle. I don't get any tuberose. It becomes more woody as it dries down, and fades into a delicious vanilla skin scent. It is linear, and fades fairly quickly. Sillage is intimate and longevity weak.

NB is unisex, but masculine-leaning: smoky oak and vanilla, with a boozy yet not at all balsamic undertone. The ingredients do not smell cheap, and it is well-blended.

However, there is something jarring about this scent. While it is decidedly smoky and woody with a creative use of vanilla, there is something reminiscent of cooking in the opening - like oak-smoked ham/cheese which is not generally the intended effect of personal fragrance! For this reason, I don't think it necessarily works as a scent. Maybe it would be better as a candle/room spray, as it is cosy and warm with hygge vibes. 2.5/5.

I absolutely love this perfume. It's a very bold scent, but warming and different, like a smoky, oak-aged vanilla. Morel like a vanilla bean in a jar of extract than a sugary vanilla. The effect is like having gone on vacation to the wild west or sitting by a campfire (in a good way).

I wanted to like this, but I think it smells too woodsy and smoky for me. I don't get any of the tuberose, which I thought would lighten the scent a bit. I'm new to perfumes but this is the first one I've smelled that I've distinctly not liked, so I'll try to describe the smell to the best of my ability! When I smell it my throat feels scratchy like when you breathe in dust, and I think that could be a peppery effect from the oak. It definitely leans more unisex/masculine, and if you like smoky vanillas this could be a good pick for you - definitely try before you buy though because it is really unique.

Review is for my own reference - The first time Kenzie and I tried this I thought it was amazing, bc of how unique and unisex it smelt! Tonight I put 3 sprays on my wrists and I had to wash it off right away. It was just too strong and I knew it would give me a headache. So go in with a LIGHT spray. I think it leans more male than unisex.
It smells like nice dry wood, very nice for winter or fall nights. It's a heavy perfume though so it's not for everyone.
It's a very interesting scent and I will keep the sample in my collection. I wouldn't buy it myself because I don't think I would use a whole bottle. I might keep it for myself if gifted. This would be amazing to smell on a sexy man in a turtle neck on a cold night or sprayed on a nice cozy blanket. I can definitely see why people love it! I think I would love it too if I could smell the vanilla or if there was a creamy smooth note in it.

This mostly just smells like pencil shavings to me. I get a peppery opening and a faint, dusty vanilla in the drydown but no florals, no bourbon. Predominantly pencil shavings. It's a kind of musty smell. I don't necessarily find it unpleasant, but it's certainly not what I was expecting and it's not something I'd wear.

Edit: 9/6/21
I have learned through much reading and speaking to Chem Profs that it isn't skin chemistry (incredibly rare for you skin to actually change a scent) but how our noses brain olfactory impressions that makes us interpret a scent molecule. So I should have said "nose/brain olfactory impression strikes again!" But that doesn't sound quite..............sane.

Skin chemistry strikes again! I don't get any of the lovely vanilla or tuberose that others are writing about. The reviewer that stated on her it smelled like she had been chopping wood all day applies to me, too. All those reviews saying it had Guerlains SDV vibes had me bubbling, now I'm just a puddle of oak water.

Bourbon? Hello? Where are you Bourbon? All I get from this is a sweet floral with a weird, plastic note that clutches at your nostrils. Like a swamp of melted plastic... you'd think that would be smooth but, no.

This is a great scent for Fall/Winter. The tuberose takes center stage on first spritz, then transforms into a creamy and gourmand vanilla with a hint of tobacco and burnt bourbon sugar. I purchased the rollerball after depleting my spray bottle and always keep one in my bag during the cooler months.

This fragrance, in my experience, is exactly as advertised; it smells like bourbon and vanilla on the surface, and doesn't tend to stray too far from it. It doesn't have much depth, but given it's price (I got it on clearance so, for under $20), it's well within it's rights to feel one-note. It stayed close to the skin and didn't have any sort of trail.

this starts with a lot of woods and a hint of tuberose, then the tuberose grows stronger. i get more vanilla after a few minutes and the mix of notes does smell like a boozy woody vanilla-bourbon is an apt name. this is a nice scent, nothing new, but probably my favorite of the elizabeth and james line that i've tried so far.

This smells like a cedar chest. This would be great to spray on your favorite cozy blanket.

This is nicely blended and I get no tuberose, which I tend to really dislike. If you already have a similar scent, though, I'm not sure this is going to do so much more for you that you'd want a bottle (though they are heavily discounted at some stores). Also, some might find this too powdery, but I think it's got just enough thickness not to go into obvious powderiness. It could be good for layering as well, since it is on the simple side.

Just snagged this for a really good price along with Rose. It smells very similar to ‘By the fireplace’ I feel like by the fireplace is stronger and richer, and it has a very synthetic smokiness to it almost like smoked bacon lol... which I cannot wear for too long since I find it too heavy for me. With Bourbon there is no smoked bacon note. You can def smell wood and yes I do get the sauna smell. Maybe same wood is used? But you also get the sweet vanilla for the dry down but it isn’t overly sweet.. but sweet enough to not make it too masculine which I was afraid of. I’m in love with bourbon !

Received this today.

Well......ok....it smells "nice".
First spray was very alcohol-y....then vanilla/woody.....and OAK....IMO...not bourbon.
IMO....it is not like Guerlain SDV ......sorry...lol.
I really do like this scent...safe....everyday type scent....but...simple and "laid-back".
I wish it had better perfomance....on my skin it goes to a skin scent rather quickly.....however..the dry down IS good.

Interesting story with this one.

I was DJ'ing a wedding at Graydon Hall Manor in Toronto and this intoxicating scent hit me so I ran up to the woman wearing it and I said "you smell amazing, what is that?". I think I made her night so once she stopped giggling she showed me a rollerball of E&J Nirvana Black.

So that Christmas I bought my wife the rollerball and dry shampoo of that scent, which in all honesty, she wore for me more than she did for her. When she ran out of the dry shampoo, we went back to Sephora to get more but we discovered E&J had more scents to offer and my wife was drawn to Bourbon way more and I'll admit this is her style. Woody, boozy, more wearable than the Black. People have compared this to a sauna, which would make sense that my wife likes it as she's Estonian and man, do they love their saunas! I love this scent on her, it's very sexy. So we just recently bought a full 50ml bottle for her. Along with Blackberry & Bay from Jo Malone and California Clementine from Atelier, this is one she reaches for often.

I have worn this and it didn't work on me. If anyone knows of other fragrances that have this booze and wood combo, please PM me, I'd be very interested to check them out.

Just like SDV, I get a 'sterile tongue depressor' smell for the first 10-15 minutes, and then it blossoms into a rich vanilla extract scent with an undertone of bourbon. It's very, very close to SDV for a much lower price.

This is boozy and yummy! Perfect for fall and winter or a date night. It absolutely smells like you've stuck your nose inside the oak barrel that the bourbon was aged in mixed with a soft and warming note of vanilla. The dry down is truly lovely.

Tip: I love layering this fragrance with Maison Margiela's Coffee Break.

I typically prefer fresh/citrus & woody fragrances, however, this one is my go to for those cold Canadian winter nights. The notes of Vanilla mixed with Oak warm me right up (I used to use Pink Sugar for the same purpose in my early 20's, nice and warming as well just not super sophisticated, lol). This lasts incredibly long on my skin and I always get compliments when I do wear it (boyfriend goes absolutely NUTS when I do wear this one!). I have the travel size roller ball and I've had this for a few years now, and still smells just as good as when it was first opened. A little goes a very long way. I've retired it for the year as we've headed into spring now!

bourbon is what my clothes would smell like after sitting in front of a campfire all night. woody with a subtle sweetness
i do like that.
bourbon and amethyst are quite similar but i prefer amethyst because it's sweeter.

i really hope elizabeth and james comes out with new fragrances. it's been too long!

After a couple of wears, I'm still not a fan. On me this dries down to a sticky-sweet vanilla with a hint of dusty wood. There is no parity in the notes, its first and foremost sweet vanilla with everything else a distant second.

I'm not a gourmand fan and I prefer sweet scents to have something tart to balance it out, so this is worth layering at least.

(I'm pretty sure it's genuine but the sheer difference in my review Vs others is a bit of a worry.)

Impression from a scent card: sweet wood. Smells like a sauna while you're holding some candy.

My first impression was a leathery boozy vanilla...as though some tonka was also lurking there.
Now checking at the note pyramid it looks like it's oak - nonetheless oak is also used to create an impression of leather, so was not too far off mark. The initial butchness somewhat calms down after an hour and the vanilla becomes more apparent. Once that happens it also is more of a skinscent.
I'd say it's completely unisex - also it smells a bit skanky :D
Perhaps not the most eloquent and elegant piece of art but that rarely is the case with vanilla dominant frags.

The big question for me is: is this a woody fragrance or a vanilla fragrance?
TL;DR - It's perfectly 50/50 both.

This smells to me like if you took a MAC lip liner, sharpened it, and then put on a MAC lipstick over the lip liner. You get the cedar-y like woodiness of the pencil itself and the dry vanilla of the lip liner and lipstick (specifically MAC lipstick, there is no powdery lipstick note in this, it is very much the vanilla MAC scent). It's as simple as that.

Longevity is 'beast mode' on me - probably one of the longest in my collection and drifts between the woody dryness of the pencil and the warmth of the vanilla. Silage is moderate, arm's length.

7/10

Very oak-y. I don't get much vanilla or tuberose. Agree that it smells like a sauna. Completely unisex.

I acquired a tiny rollerball of this along with some other samples, and it was love from first sniff. I saw someone describe it as smelling like a sauna, and I can see what they mean but I want to smell like this boozy, woody vanilla all the time.

Update: I found the 1 oz bottles at Kohl's and bought two. Hopefully by the time I get through both, I'll have found something that feels as right for me. :)

Gosh, i LOVE this! I am getting Herod vibes.....so woody, vanilla, boozy! truly perfect if you like boozy & comforting scents. I may need a few back up bottles of this gem. I'm bummed I found out about it so late.

Love to layer this woody boozy perfume. I bought a backup bottle before they become impossible to find. It feels like the secret weapon to add to other perfumes and get a scent that resembles a lot of niche woody vanillas.

Hands down the best boozy fragrance I have ever smelled. Unfortunately, the Olson sisters are now only focusing on The Row, leaving the Elizabeth & James brand high and dry.

Nirvana Bourbon definitely has niche quality with a designer price tag. Not to mention the packaging design is sleek and modern, prettier than many niche counterparties. The scent is deep and sophisticated, both men and women could rock it!

I like this a good bit - I bought a FB after getting the roll-on sampler of White, Black, Bourbon, and Rose. In Bourbon, the oak is the perfect bed for the vanilla that isn't too sugary, it's very restrained in this. Really smooth. I also get beautiful creamy tuberose. I layer it with Cologne of the Missions Le Couvent Maison de Parfum or C.O. Bigelow Vanilla Birch for something different. Good for early spring, fall, or winter, any time of the day or weather. It's too bad they have decided to discontinue the Nirvana line - I enjoy Black and especially Amethyst. Moderate sillage and longevity.

Perfect oak and vanilla bourbon perfume! I love this one so much BUT the longevity could be better IMO…but it’s also not stopping me from getting a bottle because it’s that good!!🙌🏽

I think this would could be worn year round as long as you don’t over spray in the summer…..but it’s amazing in the fall and winter months.

to be completely honest, for the first hour, this smells like bacon to me lol. i love the smoke, but something about the sweetness brings me straight to cooking meat, which unfortunately turns me off it quite a bit - a shame because the dry down is a really lovely vanilla with just a hint of smoke! i don't get much booze from it either

Bourbon layers beautifully with Guerlain Shalimar, if Shalimar isn’t already woody enough for you. I like crossing it with the vintage 80s/90s Eu de toilette of Shalimar, because wood/citrus/smokey notes are so prominent in that version.

All I get is wood, zero vanilla, or tuberose. Smells exactly like the inside of a sauna. I could enjoy it but it's just too dry. I think this would be good for layering though.

Really beautiful wood and vanilla scent. Perfect for a cosy afternoon in winter. On me it’s soft and a bit powdery in the dry down. The opening is sweeter and more boozy but nothing harsh. The vanilla is dry and powdery, not too sweet or eatable.
I have a rollerball and even applied generously it’s quite gentle but long lasting. I would have liked a bit more projection - and I don’t want a perfume to fill a room - on me it is almost a skin scent. I would say it is unisex but leaning femme.

This fragrance is a wood-bomb, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The vanilla adds some warmth, as there is no freshness or floral or citrus. Considering the name, a glass of bourbon comes to mind. Way too strong for me personally, but true to the notes and perhaps worth experimenting with layering.

Ok i know this sounds crazy but this smells like Lancomes Miracle, but with pencil shaving. Like you're in high school woodshop class or art class with pencils all over the place. Wearing Miracle. Lol

I wanted this for so long, especially because of the name. Unfortunately I get no vanilla from this, only wood. This basically smells like I've spent all day chopping wood, like literally. Not what I was going for.

This is very good, I am impressed with the MK & A perfume line. Starts off thick, syrupy, and UBER sweet, like vanilla-toffee scented syrup. After a while, the woody notes emerge, similar to rich oak-scented whiskey. The vanilla-toffee syrup note is a lot mellower at this point, but still present. They should definitely consider releasing a flanker, an elixir that really plays up the opening notes. 8.5/10, would layer very well with a spicy-sweet fragrance.

This is such a chameleon!
It starts EXTREMELY sweet, like an unctuous slice of cake, you know, the wet kind, not biscuits or dry snacks. But that phase lasts literally half a minute, and then it turns very fast into a woody smell, but very dry this time, almost like sawing a log, hence producing all the tiny particles and dust. I wish I could stop the time at this point, because it's very unique now, truly, deeply woody, and just very slightly sweetened by the vanilla.
But about half an hour in, it transforms again into an almost purely vanillic scent, the realistic and bitter kind, which reminds me very much of Eau des missions. The difference is that the latter is oilier and sweeter, while this one is drier, more dusty and sits closer to the skin. I haven't smelled Spiritueuse so I cannot say if that one is more similar.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience, I think its evolution is beautiful and captivating. My only regret is, again, that the woodiness doesn't last a while longer...

Edit: 12 hours later, I still smell a very faint drydown on my skin.

I have a 5ml sample. This is a gorgeous scent. It opens quite sweet and vanillary in the first spray, lasts for about 30 seconds before the oak becomes prominent.

On me it stays oaky for about 1-3 hours then suddenly it becomes very rich and sweet.

I worked in a pub and this reminds me of a spilled whiskey with a dash of coke which has dried on the wooden bar back and is waiting to be cleaned after everyone has left. Sweet, slightly sticky, woody and boozy.

I love it.

It's a good composition, slightly sweet, floral and woody. But you have to spray a ton of it to smell it. I had hoped they come out with an intense version, because the way it's smells puts it on the podium in the world of designer fragrances.

I got a Nirvana rollerball set that included this. At first, I really didn't like it, it felt too heavy.
But then my husband mentioned liking how it smelled and I decided to give it another go. Now I'm in love. This is perfect for wearing with a sweater and sitting under a blanket. It smells deep, creamy, and woody in a delightfully sweet way. Once I heard it was discontinued, I snapped up a full size bottle.
I typically wear this in the fall and winter.

I'm not normally a fan of vanilla, but this is so woody that the vanilla works and isn't too sweet. On me the combination produces a whole other scent that is very unique and definitely draws you in. I would recommend getting a sample of this, even if vanilla normally sends you running.

I had a roll-on set with 3 other Nirvanas. I passed it along but kept thinking about this one, I felt it was an interesting fragrance. Like a gourmand with a twist. Finally I got hold of a spray sample and I decided.. it's a pass for me.

I don't get tuberose, only very sweet vanilla (with rum yes) and then a smokey note that I find a bit synthetic. I understand how, in theory, the smoke could give this depth and complexity but it's a bit much and I'm not sure I wanna smell like this. I detect some faint woody note in the background but not enough to balance this overly sweet vanilla. As that smoke note fades this does get better. On the plus side it's very long-lasting. Even if it doesn't project anymore, the smell on the skin is there till next day.

Still, I am not interested any more. Overall I just found there is something with this line that makes me like the fragrances less and less the more I try them.

~ Wow , Wow , Wow , I'm so late to the party on this one , It's sad . This is a long lasting scentual on me with a spicy vibe on my skin . I have almost all of Elizabeth & James Nirvana Line excluding Amethyst . The minute I spritzed this on without any hint of alcohol { the other kind ..lol } is amazing . I get the Tuberose and Vanilla with that boozy kick . I get it ,it's from the Oak , since the Bourbon Vanilla bean or pod is used in alcohol production and the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla is one , if not the most expensive to buy . I'm pretty impressed , she really lasts . I spritzed one on each arm , my valley below , and on a top , she lasted all day until I indulged in my nightly bathing routine . I placed on around { 9:00 am } yesterday and she was still going strong when I washed my hair and soaked in tub , at around 7 :00 pm or so . I have decided with me that all perfumes are pretty much going to be a hit or a miss , not because of the notes per se , but because of the way my body reacts to them . This one being discontinued , just means my hunt for more goes on . I hope to keep in my wardrobe for years to come ~ I hear this ages really well , booze or no booze ~ ///=^} ~

My issue with the Nirvana fragrances it that they're interesting in theory but rather lackluster in practice.

The simple note pyramid here makes me think that I'm going to smell decadent woody, boozy vanilla but it's so bland.

Yes, this does make me think of an oak barrel that once held bourbon vanilla but it never reaches the creamy depths that would make it a killer! There's no tuberose that I can smell - which is fine, I don't think it would add anything in this wannabe boozy composition, but I think it's odd that you can't even sense 1/3 of the notes :p

Nirvana Bourbon smells *good* but it's like no one put in a tiny bit of extra effort to push it to *great.*

Not bad, but a little underwhelming. I read a lot of positive reviews about Elizabeth and James, so I was happy to find some samples on FragranceX as this brand was never available in my country. I tried Nirvana Bourbon and Nirvana Black.

Bourbon smells, like the name suggests, quite boozy, especially at first. It's also really woody, so the overall impression is that of a wooden barrel that held a nice liquor for years, but is empty now. It doesn't smell unpleasantly alcoholic. Unfortunately I find the oak note rather scratchy and obviously synthetic, I don't even know if I would have identified it as oak specifically, it just smells like 'woody notes' to me, if that makes sense. The vanilla is definitely there and softens the fragrance as it dries down, without being very sweet. Tuberose is nowhere to be found.
Nirvana Bourbon is totally unisex and more of an autumn/winter scent. I would enjoy it more on a man than on myself, but it's not overtly masculine. I don't think anyone who isn't averse to warm woody and boozy scents would really hate this, but I find it a little boring, it's very simple and doesn't move me in any way.

Okay, so my first sniff was a massive disappointment. All caps massive!

I was hoping for a deep warm woody scent, and didn't get that. I got a very sweet smell like rum n raisin icecream, mixed with burning rubber. Yikes, yikes, yikes.

Now second spray, and with different expectations, I can maybe see a future with this scent. The burning rubber has faded for a start.

Like Amethyst the sugar content is borderline too much but there is more wood coming through now and it's not sawdusty thank god. I hope my feelings will develop with time.

I adore my dour Rose, aloof French Grey, and cozy Amethyst. I'm hoping to add Bourbon to the like list with Black at the very least.

-----+

18 Oct 2020 - it is not growing on me yet.
-------

To whomever is responsible for discontinuing this line:

GET BACK IN HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

I very recently bought samples of the other Nirvana perfumes I haven't had the chance to smell before (so basically: Bourbon, Rose, French Grey, and Amethyst), and I plan to spend the next few days trying them out, but...jeez...I can already say: This line is (was) genius.

Nirvana Bourbon sits wonderfully on my skin! At first spray, I get an almost-citrus smell. It's brilliant; don't get me wrong, just entirely unexpected. Then it blends to this *amazing* honeyed-vanilla oak that does have a kinda....sexy...classy...boozy note to it. The bourbon is a perfect touch.
I honestly have yet to detect any tuberose. Which is fine, really - Tuberose tends to be hit-or-miss for me.

I was worried about this one because of some reviews that mentioned smelling of "wood-paneling" or being very "smoky" or like "varnish". Thank God, it doesn't smell that way on my skin! It's a wrist-sniffer; I've brought it up to my nose at least 5 times in the last 5 minutes.

Projection has been quite good. I get whiffs of it as I'm typing. I continue wrist-sniffing because - Gosh darn it - I want mooooooooooore!
Longevity remains to be seen, but...if I'm honest with myself...I don't think I'll hold out much hope.
Definitely want a full bottle, though.

San Frantastic.

***

Kitty rating: 8.5/10 (Pending longevity and confirmed projection).

EDIT (06/09/2020):
Amended: Kitty rating: 9/10 (It's just so good).

I bought this with the other black and white.. i hated them so much .. it takes so much for me to say this but this one is so horrible.. i can not believe the hype this brand gets .. totally waste of money ..

I was so looking forward to testing this one but first impression is not good.
The cedar is far too sharp on my skin and sticks around far too long for my liking.
The dry down is softer but too subtle. I guess I was expecting something boozier and richer.
Big thumbs down from me.

I've had a tester of this for awhile now and decided to try it... Very nice. It's a slight lighter version of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille which is lovely and I love on my hubs, but I find a little too manly/strong for me. This one I find is perfect for me and the hubs. The dry-down is soft and sweet with all the notes staying put.

Projection is good, but nothing like TF, and longevity on my skin is about 6+ hr

Love it and will have to get a full bottle.

Update: I have a full bottle :) Hubs can wear his TF and I'll use this :)

Interesting scent. The Oak makes me feel I am in a room full of old bookshelves, and every now and then a whiff of smokiness appears . Absolutely no Tuberose.
It's not for me and yet I still somehow am enjoying it:)
Moderate silage and longevity .

Not for me. The notes sounded lovely, but unfortunately on my skin it smells like new office furniture. Fortunately, it is not long lasting nor does it project so no one will embarrass you by wondering where that eau de cupboard smell is coming from.
I wish I could smell what the positive reviewers smell but it just makes me smell like a desk. Definitely one to try and not blind buy.

I really like this perfume. At first it is smoke and a slight sweetness. But the other reviews are so right---it doesn't last. It lasts about 1.5 hrs on me then its gone. I wish it lasted longer. I have a rollerball of this so when it fades I just refresh. Is it worth buying??? I don't know, I guess if you love the scent just know it doesn't last.

Smelled wonderful on the card, but after about 15 seconds on my skin it turns into something awful. At first I got a smoky/woody/even leathery combo evoking "a cozy old study", but then something rubbery and acrid crept in and it became more like "a luxury car on fire."

One of the best and interesting perfumes I have ever tried!!! It smells like boozy vanilla wood. Unfortunately it doesn't last at all. Maybe an hour or so on skin and a couple hours on clothes. I would LOVE to see an intense version of this. I haven't bought a bottle because the longevity is SO POOR. It's a shame for such a beautiful smelling fragrance.

Wow I cant believe just 2 years ago i used to hate this so much. I found it to be more suited to a man tried to pawn it off on my husband since boozy scents smell wonderful on him. As I try more perfumes, I start to appreciate what I used to hate. Just yesterday I tried olympia intense and really enjoyed it. Three years ago I hated that with a passion too!

This is so gorgeous. Very dusty, woody, smoky and divine. There are mostly honeyed dry woods in the forefront; the sweet, boozy vanilla and tuberose are secondary. I only ever enjoy a vanilla with a definite twist and that's just what this is, I'd say in fact it's primarily a sweetened woody scent. Comes across as cosy but also a little sensual.
Longevity for me is average, I wouldn't class it as a particularly bad performer.
It's beautiful on its own but sometimes I layer with Zara x Jo Malone Tuberose Noir to amp up the florals.

Imagine sitting around a campfire outside in the summer time while eating a big bowl of vanilla ice cream drenched in bourbon whiskey sauce. That's pretty much what this perfume says to me when I wear it. It's not sweet like some might expect from a vanillafied perfume and all of the elements work together in proper unison to create something surprisingly wearable for a scent with only three notes in its composition. It's not complex but it doesn't try to be and therein lies its beauty.
The staying power is the pitts, just like Nirvana Black but because I do love the smell so much, I use these for layering with other scents to create something completely new and alluring to keep people guessing what it is that I am actually wearing. If they could improve on the sillage and longevity, I'm convinced that the perfumes in this line would be much more revered and sought after. I am not a whiskey drinker but this is one bourbon that I can tolerate and enjoy!

When I first got this I loved it. Now I'm glad I only bought a 1 oz. bottle. The cedar note is a bit too overpowering for my taste.

I love this perfume so much, BUT it just doesn't last on me, so I doubt I will get a FB. I will say that this is one of the loveliest perfumes I've smelled recently. The cedar is the star here and it is divine! Vanilla smooths it out a bit and rumor is it that there is some tuberose in there, too, though it's pretty darn quiet if it's there. basically, this is a beautiful smooth cedar that I would totally buy right now if it lasted more than 3 hours on me. I'm heart broken :(

Edit: I ended up buying a FB because I do love it that much. To heck with the longevity...I'll just respray as needed.

This is not your traditional dessert/pudding like vanilla- not a gourmand but boy I do love having it in my collection- I’m a huge vanilla lover and this is a simple boozy, vanilla with a floral twist- I happen to love tuberose and find that it blends just right here in a subtle way( if you want an in your face strong sweet vanilla tuberose, test mancera’s velvet vanilla )

I bought samples in summer and absolutely loved the opening however was nit prepared for the cedar in the middle and dry down phase- i sprayed too heavily for a hot summer day and do not recommend anyone else do that! The cedar/ wood note works better in fall and winter:) it is a boozy cozy vanilla blend, perfect for sweater weather-

I find bc it is so simple it is great fir layering

In addition, I agree with the post that this is in the family of Guerlain,s DSV but by no means a dupe but distant cousins- I thought of nb when I got my sample of dsv- this is not nearly as complex and a fraction of the price tag:)

If you are looking for a traditional vanilla this is not it, however it is a beautiful non traditional vanilla blend that is unique, not overdone nor have I smelled anything identical to it:)

I wanted to love this, but the wood note reads cedar chest on me or like cedar wood shavings or pencil sharpening shreds. It's very, very woody and sharp in the top and middle, and also has a hars "bug spray" note. I can't smell the vanilla (my favorite note) until drydown but it's tough to get through the cedar until then and the sharp notes.

I was hoping for a soft woody vanilla but this is all cedar and very little vanilla.

My first sniff reminded me of the pediatrician's office of my childhood - an oddly specific scent of latex gloves and varnished wood paneling on the walls, mixed with something soft and baby-like, and all very clean. And yet no fewer than four other reviews here mention Bourbon's doctor's office vibe. Weird associations aside, this is nice. It's woody, but again, more lacquered wood paneling than stroll in a forest, and with a touch of smoke. I don't get tuberose per se, but the slight milkiness it sometimes possesses is in there somewhere. It's a syrupy, vanillic varnished wood, but more pleasant than that sounds. It's not E&J's most successful offering, but it has a certain appeal.

The leading and withstanding note in this fragrance is definitely cedar, perhaps meant to be oak barrels. The vanilla is in the background and is overtaken by the woods on my skin. I get very little tuberose. It layers really well with Nirvana Black and White for more depth and smoothness.

I really wanted to like this one based on the notes. Vanilla is my favorite scent and perfume note. And pretty much all I wear is vanilla without strong added fruit, floral or harsh notes.

I tried the roll on vs the spray, so that may make a difference. It's not the lovely vanilla I hoped for until the drydown. The top and middle notes linger for a few hours, and it's just not bearable.

It's a very musky, cedar scent that's very sharp and harsh. I don't get much vanilla until drydown. It's a very soft, smoky vanilla that's nice but not as nice as say the vanilla in my favorite Kenzo Amour or even as nice as Warm Vanilla Sugar.

If it started in the drydown, I'd find it okay but not a favorite but before the drydown it's just too sharp and harsh. Not at all what I expected.

For reference, my favorites are Kenzo Amour, Kate Walsh Boyfriend (original version), Warm Vanilla Sugar, Un Bois Vanelle, Ambre De Nepal, Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere all soft warm vanilla scents that aren't sharp.

E&J NB is like the simpler version of Guerlain Spirituese Double Vanille with the delicate layers stripped away revealing just deep vanilla and woods. Imagine smelling a really high quality vanilla extract straight out of the bottle. It's not sweet yet, just pure dry vanilla. With a dash of oak barrel.


I do really like this though, don't get me wrong. It's a great no-nonsense woody vanilla but I wish it lasted longer and radiated further. But I like most of my fragrances to be loud and proud! Perfectly unisex though in my opinion. If you like this, definitely give Atelier Vanille Incensee a try.

This is quite well done. They've bottled the charred oak distillery spirit, complete with caramel syrup and age-softened musk.
Doesn't last terribly long, but it's reasonably priced, so have another shot.

I would find this one sexy on a guy, too--especially the older silver fox with good vintage.

This is 85% Cologne of the Missions Le Couvent des Minimes and 15% Replica By the Fireplace without the longevity or silage of either. Not to say the performance is bad. Just average.
It is really nice, though! Very cozy and warm. If you like either of the fragrances I mentioned and you find this for a deal, you should snag it!

Gosh this is a delicious and cozy winter fragrance! Bourbon is a straight up inspiration for what you might crave on winter seasons-
1 Booze
2 Fire place/pits
3 and camping
Sure am grateful to have in my wardrobe. In love<3

LOVE!! I had this on my wishlist for a while....can't believe it took me so long to try!! It starts off smelling very strong of cedar (seriously, kinda like hamster bedding!) but then morphs into a more woody creamy vanilla. The notes remind me a lot of my Vanilla Nuit (Yves Rocher) although it wears differently with more cedar than vanilla, especially in the top notes. Base notes remind me of a very wearable tobacco/wood/vanilla....Very quickly a skin scent (probably 2 hours in) but I love the tiny roller balls so re-application is easy. I don't usually like tobacco notes because they smell like raisin to me but this is just the slightest of a tobacco scent mixed with the other notes...This one's a winner for me!!!

An absolute stunner, and I can't believe it took me so long to test it! It definitely does have what some below call the "sterile doctors office scent", but to me this adds a "dry paper" quality to perfume that I adore. I definitely get a strong whiff of bourbon/cognac, the sort of dry golden middle note you get when you've only just swallowed the drink. This dry woody scent is supported by rich boozy vanilla that merely adds warmth but does not overpower.

I had no idea it had tuberose before seeing the notes here to be honest. The scent does have a faint creamy floral somewhere on the outskirts but it acts merely as glue to keep the main notes working together as well as they do. I'd wear it day or night. Definitely signature scent worthy.

Woody with a big blast of alcohol, B. isn't what I expected from the Olsen twins frag brand. If this is typical of their offerings they've risen above the sweet celeb fragrance trap - good for them!
B. has a very realistic oak note, almost like new paneling. I don't get any floral notes or bourbon whisky. Does the oak refer to the barrels some whisky is aged in?
Poor sillage and longevity, this one's a skin scent.
More masculine than feminine, B. is a nice minimalist fragrance, uncomplicated and work safe.

I do like this. But as a recent review stated it does kinda have that sterile doctors office scent. I totally recognize it. I think it's the oak. I had to double check the notes because to me it smelled like leather somewhat. I can also smell the suggestion of booze, but it's not boozy and there's hints of vanilla too. Thank God the tuberose is subdued in this. Very well blended here.
This was a blind buy based off reviews here and my experience with Nirvana Black. I think this is nice but I prefer Black more. This isn't sweet like the black is. This is definitely more of a stringent woodsy vibe whereas Black is all about the powdery sandalwood.
Update Edit:
I've been wearing this a few days consistently and I find it delightful. Its grown on me. Surprisingly I've also noticed a similarity to my beloved Balenciaga B. This fragrance shares the same tart note as in B. It must be the "woodsy oak note" = cedar I think, it's nice. Clean, fresh and slightly tart smelling. It's the note that stands out the most to my nose.

I did not like this at all, it smelled like a doctor's office to me. Lol.. crazy I know. I can't put my finger on what, but this has a very sterile offputing undertone

Take Cologne of the Missions and add wood + smoke - you’ve got Nirvana Bourbon. I used to own CoM but sold it because I felt like it was lacking depth, Nirvana Bourbon was just what I was looking for. Boozy, sweet campfire vanilla.

I’m not having the longevity issues that others have mentioned, I sprayed the back of my hand last night and could still smell it lingering on my skin this morning.

Gorgeous. Smells like wood smoke and holidays at the beach house. It's a shame it's so undetectable to anyone but the wearer. Otherwise this would have been mine.

Love the smell of this boozy/woody vanilla, delicious and sexy (hubby loves this one on me), but it becomes a skin scent within 10 minutes, and it's gone within a couple of hours on my skin. Even on my clothes and my hair, it does not last, which is a shame because it is gorgeous. I guess it's perfect when you are not supposed to wear perfume at work...

EDIT: Maybe it's my nose playing tricks on me. I've worn this everyday over the holidays and I LOVE IT! I received many compliments, although I barely smell it myself after a short while, so maybe I'm anosmic. So I reapply liberally and am in bliss then. I hope there is an intense version of this on the horizon, because Bourbon is addictive to me.

This is something I have sought out as a replacement for Magnifique because it shares a woody, musky scent. There are very heavy oak tones followed by vanilla and a light floral undertone that rose and gardenia lovers would probably find interesting.

I have smelled all the "Nirvana" series of perfumes and this is by far my favorite. It is classy and not too heavy.

While it isn't close to being an exact match for Magnifique, it is definitely something I think fans of that perfume would enjoy.

On a test strip, this stuff is rich, boozy, vanilla-heavy, and delightful, so I got myself a sample. On my skin, however, the tuberose and vanilla share center stage for maybe half an hour before the tuberose vanished altogether and left a blend of the oak and vanilla- powdery, woody, and somewhat sweet- but none of the rich boozy vanilla from the test paper. Sillage is basically nonexistent; this is a skin scent all the way through. At 3 hours I had to dig my nose into my forearm and hunt for the last vestiges of powder, and it was gone before the 6 hour mark.

Nirvana Bourbon is a very welcoming, mild-mannered scent. It is pleasant, inoffensive, and very likeable. Combined with the soft sillage, these would probably make it a great choice for an office or interview. I think it would be overwhelmingly powdery in warm weather and be completely swallowed by a cold winter, so probably fall or early spring would be best. For me, the lack of interest and staying power combined with the US$85 price tag would make FB pretty hard to justify.

Such a shame that this beautiful boozy fragrance neither projects nor lasts moderately. Disappeared on me in less than half an hour :(

I received three carded sample vials of this particular Nirvana and I reeeally wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I don't get any of the delicious sweetness or vanilla that others seem to experience. I've tried it on 3 separate occasions with the same disheartening results.

Upon first application, my skin smelled like oily rubber on fire. Burning tires. I hated it.

After about an hour, I got dry, charred wood, which was just too parched and sharp for me. If it was enriched with some actual woodiness, maybe I'd have enjoyed it, but all I got was ash in my nose.

A few hours later, the char mellowed down to a whisper of smoke which sat very close to my skin, which was somewhat nice, but not good enough to justify sitting through any of the previous sensations to arrive there.

I do really like Nirvana Rose and Nirvana Black, so I'm happy to stick with those :)

I love this one personally being big on vanilla based scents. Here you get a more masculine (deff. unisex) smokier vanilla.. the vanilla here isn't super sweet cakey smelling.. more buttery/ powdery. I think of a way lighter by the fireplace or yes Midnight Shimmer by M. Kors like a previous person commented. I will agree yes this is faint could've been amped up just a little but I still like it. One of those cozy comfort skin scents perfect for fall/winter. I have this layered today with Derek Lam's "Something Wild" & it's love almost tempted to spring for a bottle but I already have so many fragrances to go through & I have & love Something Wild more..so I think I can suffice w/o it.. unless someone gifts it to me..lol

@ Music

Thanks for your advice, but I think I’ll keep calling out people that leave completely misleading comparisons.

There are people out there that are silly enough to rely on comparisons from this site as being somewhat accurate. They base blind buys on these reviews if they’re not in a position to sample.

Someone has to say something when people on here start claiming fragrances smell alike, when in reality they really don’t.

Between claiming this smells like By The Fireplace and Lutens JdP smelling almost identical to Adam Levine it’s hard for me to sit and read such misleading comparisons

I cannot decide whether I love or hate this perfume. On the one hand, the woody vanilla is beautiful as we move into fall - and alluring, to boot. On the other hand, my skin brings out a slight "stale tobacco" or "smoker's breath" note that is considerably less attractive. Or maybe I just associate the smell of stale tobacco with bourbon? (My SO only smells vanilla when I wear Nirvana Bourbon, though, for what that counts.)
I do find the longevity to be decent, though, at least when applied on my wrists with a rollerball. It lasted through the night and a couple handwashings, as a light vanilla-amber.

I get a similarity to Eau de Baux by L'Occitane.

@CB23....everyone is allowed an opinion on a fragrance. Your review is worded kind of rudely. Perhaps stick to actually reviewing the fragrance instead of commenting on other's opinions.
For the record, to add to my previous review, I am still enjoying this and hope to wear it in the fall frequently when I want to feel cozy.

ETA: Apparently my nose is "broken" (see above reviews) so disregard any comparison I make with fragrances. Lol. What a laugh! I stand by it being in the same boat as "By the fireplace". It is not an exact dupe but a milder version to my nose. I was very recently pregnant and had a baby so it is unlikely my nose doesn't work properly. You do you, CB23 and I will follow my own nose. Thanks.

This is way better suited for a man, just like nirvana black. Passed it onto my husband

I really like the smell on the paper. Smelled like nice soft incense.
But sadly,again, on my skin it just smells like BBQ meat:(
Why?

There are some really weird reviews in here, maybe some of you have been drinking bourbon?

It doesn't smell like 'by the fireplace' I love both fragrances but just because they're both woody fragrances featuring vanilla doesn't mean they smell alike.

Then you've got other people claiming it's faint, doesn't project, skin scent etc umm no, just because you can't smell it for whatever reason doesn't make it so. It actually lasts a really long time

It is absolutely unisex and no it doesn't smell like that horrible Shalimar, some of you need to get off Guerlains **** not everything they put out is amazing, in fact the majority isn't very good at all, but if this was in one of their bottles, would some of you go crazy for it, likely the same ones hating on it...

It is funny how a spray vs a rollerball can bring out different notes in a fragrance. I had only ever tried this one as a rollerball and I got more of the vanilla at that time. Based on that, I just bought a big bottle of this and after the first spray I was surprised how smoky it was. This reminds me so much of Replica "By the Fireplace". We are about to enter summer here, so I will save it for the cooler weather. I like it but would likely layer it with vanilla, to make it less "fireplace" like.

Very soft. Does not project. An instant skin scent. But it is pleasant: a warm, woody vanilla that smells almost like tobacco. Too bad it is so weak.

My wife just got a sample of this in a Sephora Play box. This frag was not for her, she said. I took a snort. To me, it was all powder and vanilla and sweet. I'm not a fan of powder at all in fragrances for women OR men. There is a slight, minimal hint of woody and earthy, but -- again -- the powder and sweetness is predominant. For ladies, this would be OK but would not be a magnet for me. Not unisex at all to my nose.

I have a lot of respect for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's fragrance line, Elizabeth and James. I own two of their fragrances already and am keen to smell all that this brand has to offer.

I have wanted to test Nirvana Bourbon for quite some time now. I am very familiar with the scent of bourbon whisky as it is one of the drinks of choice for my partner and I. Boozy scents, however, aren't always a genre that I tend to enjoy wearing. I owned a bottle of Frapin's 1697 years ago that I sold on due to my inability to do its rum-dominant scent justice.

Nirvana Bourbon does smell like thick, head-spinning booze on my skin, however, it has been softened by dry, resinous vanilla and a woodsy drydown. I disagree that this scent is purely for women, I could definitely see a man wearing this fragrance. In fact, many scents from the Elizabeth and James line are easily unisex.

Nirvana Bourbon was quite rich with a strong projection for at least the first hour or so on my skin. Unfortunately, this fragrance becomes tamer as the scent develops with the sillage softening into a skin scent by the time the fragrance has reached its base notes. I was disappointed that Nirvana Bourbon didn't have the same strength as Nirvana Black does on my skin.

I won't be adding Nirvana Bourbon to my growing Elizabeth and James collection, however, I find it a pleasant addition to their Nirvana range.

This smells so sickening. I can't stand this or any of Elizabeth James' other perfumes

I think this is my first official review here. I just received this today, after beginning my quest for boozy scents. It is, indeed, boozy at first spray. Now, I am reminded of Chloe Narcisse, though a much softer version. I really, really enjoy how I smell right now, as it drifts up from my neck every few minutes. I feel like I want to layer it with some on the sweet/clean side, so I will begin experimenting.

This scent is perfect for an INTIMATE encounter. Its softness and woody,smokey,semi sweet vanilla is IMO intoxicating..especially in an intimate setting. I guarantee it will make your partner search for the places in which you applied this fragrance.......and...stay there ..all for your pleasure/playtime. Its NOT for wearing to stand out in a crowd or gather compliments at work......but...It will garner amazing carnal cuddling and more!!!

Oh my dear E&J Bourbon, I adore you! Let's hangout together everyday! Or at least until I use you up! And I will use you up my love!

Layered or on its own this scent rocks my nose and brain and makes me happy.

Layered with E&J Rose, it really keeps my attention and I think "what smells so darn sexy?"

ME!

I try to keep it toned down so as not to offend anyone at the office.

So Shhhh don't tell anyone about this.

Whenever I see the word Bourbon I automatically think whiskey rather than vanilla, strange really as I’m clearly a fragrance fan but I’m obviously more of a whiskey fan so there you go.
Well, who knew I would’ve been eerily accurate in that assumption, the opening is boozy and not in a good way, the base alcohol in this seems to take an age to disperse, which can happen with some (even the best) vanillas because they are so subtle and take time to develop. Then you get the other type which are just poorly executed and sadly that’s what E&J Nirvana Bourbon is, a meek, woody perfume which is an oak note, again subtlety conveyed and a vague booziness which is quite nice and then barely a flicker of the main player vanilla. It’s a shame because I can tell there the basis of a good perfume in here but it’s so patheticly mild it comes over like an anosmic, single woody molecule that quite honestly....bearly registers. I like the bottle and the branding though...they look pretty cool.

Bourbon vanilla is my favorite vanilla, so I had to finally get this. You can find a 100ml from Fragrancenet for $60, so I did it. (NIB)
While it was in transit (it was a blind buy) I sampled Nirvana Amethyst and while I liked it... I have other/better tobacco scents and sillage/potency left a LOT to be desired.

Now Bourbon is here, and it's the same light/airy, dry disappointing sillage/potency. (However, it lasted all night on my shirt) It is primarily WOODY with a hint of boozy vanilla. It's like a cedar barrel that held bourbon about 100 years ago. It's not a bad scent, but I def wouldn't rebuy it. I wear perfume to smell/enjoy myself and this is just too light. However, if someone is sensitive to fragrance-- this would be ideal for someone who find Tobacco Vanille WAY too strong. It's unisex in a way that it's not sweet or masculine, it's a very light linear WOOD.

This was a cold winter testing, so maybe this likes heat more? Or else, it's one of those quality scents that melts into you and surfaces with body heat/movement/wind.

I also noticed with my sample vial of Amethyst, I used about 10 sprays but only half the vial (if even) so this appears to spray in a light light mist which may explain the weakness? I went BANANAS on my shirt today with Bourbon from the big bottle, so we'll see how that fares.

Also, I did detect a SMOKY bit to the wood, which could come across as a smoker to some people. But overall it's a WOOD/CEDAR to me with a hint of smoky sweetness.

And yes, I blind bought Black too for a good price, but that comes later in the week.

I wanted to love this, but I don't. I'm not sure if I even like it. The first blast is way too strong and sharp. When it settles down, it is more pleasant, but there's still something "off" about it. About the time I think I might warm up to it, it disappears.
EDIT: I gave it another chance, and I think I'm starting to like it.

Can a man pull this one off? Would love someone's input! Just the description alone, this one must smell phenomenal! The tobacco, the bourbon vanilla, and the oak wood (basically the whole fragrance itself) mingle beautifully together. Since discovering Black Orchid EDP can be worn by men as well, this (to me at least) makes me rethink the idea entirely of which way a fragrance is supposed to sway and who is to wear it. I say, if your comfortable whilst wearing this, just do it! (think Shia Lebeouf)

The opening here reminds me very much of the great Shalimar, with its smokey, burnt rubber accord. That burnt rubber thing is something you will either love or hate. No inbetween. (I personally find it intoxicating.) But this however, is where the similarities of the two end.

Whereas Shalimar loses most of its smokiness as it dries down to become a sophisticated, retro, powdery cremebrule, Nirvana Bourbon takes a contemporary turn and retains much of its smokey opening, while morphing into a deep, boozy, woody and almost caramelized vanilla.

Hard to believe that all this comes from three simple notes.
Love it from start to finish.

This fragrance conjures the sights and smells of a dimly lit Speakeasy. Feathers and pearls, sparkling clunky bottles of bourbon and gin, cloudy mirrors, vanilla candles casting a golden glow and the stale smoke of clove cigarettes lingering in the air.

Every review I've read of this perfume says that it's longevity is terrible, but I put it on 8 hours ago, and I am still getting whiffs of it. Maybe my skin just reacts really well? As for the smell, I think it smells like a less spicy Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford.

this juice smells amazing!!!!!! absoulutely magical and i get this woody vanilla with a hint of strong spice behind it.....i was gonna make this my next investment then i noticed something quite familiar and something i find in a lot of frags even though this is marketed to women i am so disappointed that this scent is ULTRA FLEETING.....SUPER SOFT SILAGE....WEAK AND CRIPPLED PREFORMANCE.......PEE WATER STRENGH JUICE...its a damn shame cause if this juice had even moderate preformance i would still consider getting it but at the same price point there are many choices of juice that preform better. damn damn damn.....this scent is so good......magic sweet burnt woods and vanilla cooked but......preformance is just dismal.....must re-apply once an hour to get any power.

Purchased the big bottle. I wanted all of my sweaters to smell like it...my new fall scent...boozy vanilla oak barrel dream. Fell in love and then found myself huffing my arm only a half hour later to get the slightest whiff and all that was left was a trace of wood. Like I brushed my arm inside a humidor and a molecule or three rubbed off. Tried on my shirt with the same result. How sad. Returned this heartbreaker. A Bourbon Intense version would be amazing, though.

Heavy on the wood and light on the vanilla. Very linear. Not interesting or deep enough. It feels so thin, like it's really missing body. I would love it more if it had some more oomph, but it just is missing something for me.
The sillage is poor and the longevity is not much better, which is too common among Elizabeth and James perfumes.
In the end I gave my mini rollerball to my brother, because I feel like it would work better as a men's fragrance.

Received as a sample when I ordered from Sephora. This stuff was sprayed on myself and 2 other women. Overwhelmingly we all HATED this perfume! It smelled like menthol and vanilla custard had a baby. You cannot escape the menthol smell. We washed it off immediately laughing at how nasty this smelled. It is still on our skin. Fortunately it is not anywhere near as powerful but my nose won't stop itching I do not know about the other 2 ladies. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS EVER!!