Luxardo Maraschino is aged for two years in white Finnish ashwood vats before being put in bottles encased in hand-plaited straw - originally to make transportation...
Couldn't agree more Paul (and Mrs. Paul). Both times I've sampled it (two separate bottles) it's tasted very artificial and only marginally like cherries. For recipes calling for Maraschino liqueur I've recently been subbing Rossio--a Portugese "licor de ginja"--with good results. It's brandy-based though, so I would love to find a closer alternative but am hesitant to invest in a different Maraschino without first tasting it.