The name (note the archaic 'y' in the spelling, a nod to 19th-century French and Swiss traditions) emerged from the underground cocktail renaissance of the early 2010s. Founded by a collective of mixologists and herbalists in the Pacific Northwest, the distillery sought to correct over a century of misinformation. Their goal was not to create a novelty "thujone-bomb" to get drinkers high, but to produce a balanced, terroir-driven spirit that could stand alongside fine Scotch or aged Rum.
For bartenders, it is a workhorse. It lifts a Sazerac from great to legendary. For the home drinker, it is a conversation starter. And for the history buff, it is a sip of 1890s Paris—without the syphilis.