Trivia:

almonds "smell like" cyanide because cherry pits have it naturally occurring, and back when Maraschino was stewing them to make his liqueur, one of the corners that was cut in the process was pitting the cherries beforehand.

Later, when Maraschino began making the cherries as a garnish product, pitting became necessary and the flavor was boosted by almond extract. Hence, oldschool "cherry" flavor is mostly almond, in actuality.