Two chemists thought bourbon was solving the wrong problem.
Marc Adler and David Raveenthrarajan spent years studying the chemistry of maturation: Marc in organic chemistry research, David in graduate work in molecular science. Their work together, supported through Toronto Metropolitan University, produced a process that changed what's possible in spirit production.
The insight wasn't about shortcuts. It was about understanding what a barrel actually does, and building a process that drives the same chemistry more deliberately, more consistently, and in a fraction of the time.
Once the process worked, Marc and David had proof the chemistry held up, and a spirit they genuinely loved drinking. They wanted to bring it to market. So they brought in Erin Krol to help take it from proof of concept to a commercial product. The result was Suburban Lynx.
We chose not to make a look-alike.
Bourbon is a legal designation with specific production requirements. Suburban Lynx doesn't meet those requirements, not because it's inferior, but because it doesn't use traditional barrel aging. It uses Inverse Barreling.
We could have positioned it as a bourbon-style spirit, leaned into the category's visual language, and let the resemblance carry the marketing. We didn't. Suburban Lynx is its own thing. It's named for what it is, built on verified science, and sold on the merits of the result.
The science was already market-tested.
A limited release built on the same process, through Elora Distilling Co., sold out at $74.99. The market didn't need to be convinced; it needed access.
Suburban Lynx is the platform launch: more accessible price point, wider distribution, and the Core Highball as a second format for the occasions where a 750ml bottle doesn't fit.
Meet the founders.
Marc Adler, PhD
Co-Founder, Chief Science Officer
Associate Professor, Organic Chemistry, Toronto Metropolitan University. BSc, UC Berkeley. PhD, Duke University. Postdoctoral research, Yale University & University of Oxford. Co-inventor of the process behind Suburban Lynx.
David Raveenthrarajan, MSc
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer
MSc, Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University. Co-inventor of the process; leads production.
Erin Krol, JD
Chief Commercial Officer
JD, Queen's University Faculty of Law. Called to the Ontario Bar (2019). Leads brand, product, and go-to-market strategy.