Accord Stone's Purpose & Provenance Blended Irish Whiskey Review

 

Every culture has its traditions and ceremonies. Accord Stones are Celtic Iron Age monuments characterized by holes in their centers. Their purpose was to “seal the deal” when it came to important agreements or weddings. The holes were at about arm-height. Each party would place their hands into the hole and hold the other’s. It was a handshake of sorts. They continued to be used well into the 17^th century. Many of these Accord Stones have been lost or destroyed.  

 

Photo courtesy of Accord Stone

Today, we’ll explore a blended Irish whiskey called Purpose & Provenance from Accord Stone Irish Whiskey. Blended whiskey gets a bad reputation because some clueless people are trying to salvage mediocre (or worse) whiskeys. Frankly, that reputation is undeserved, and it doesn’t matter what country the whiskey is from.

 

Blending is an art form; there are very skilled blenders adept at marrying whiskeys of different styles and origins into something amazing. In some ways, blending whiskey is an accord, or a promise to take good whiskeys and not turn them into undrinkable rotgut.

 

In Ireland, the definition of blended whiskey is relatively broad. There can be one or more distilleries involved using whiskeys distilled from grain, malt, or pot still whiskeys. You can’t add in things beyond those whiskeys (short of water and E150a caramel coloring), and you don’t have to use all three whiskey types. But you can use any combination or percentage you can think of.

 

Purpose & Provenance Batch 1 is a blend of malt and grain whiskeys sourced from the legendary Cooley Distillery and the workhorse Great Northern Distillery. It is naturally colored and non-chill filtered.

 

“The Accord Stones stand in Ireland as enduring symbols of agreement and commitment. This Irish Whiskey is for those moments, whether grand or simply better than the day before. We celebrate the bonds sealed by a handshake, a signature, an exchange of rings, or the clink of a glass. We extend hands with the promise to bottle nothing but the finest whiskey.” – Accord Stone Irish Whiskey

 

While Accord Stone Irish Whiskey and I didn’t shake hands through a stone, I am grateful to them for this opportunity to #DrinkCurious by providing me with a sample of Purpose & Provenance in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s see if their promise of delivering fine whiskey holds true.

 

• Whiskey Type: Blended Irish Whiskey
• Distiller: Great Northern Distillery and Cooley Distillery
• Age: 7 years malt, 12 years grain
• Mashbill: 80% double-distilled grain (Cooley), 5% double-distilled malt (Cooley), 15% triple-distilled malt (Great Northern)
• Cooperage: Oloroso Sherry casks (Cooley), Bourbon casks (Great Northern)
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 750mL: $70.00
• Non-chill filtered
• Natural color

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to sip this whiskey neat. It was the color of tarnished brass, and it produced a thick, sticky rim and syrupy, medium-spaced tears.

 

Nose: After allowing Purpose & Provenance to breathe for about ten minutes, I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and inhaled. I smelled apples, pears, maple syrup, toffee, and blanched almonds. Drawing the air through my lips produced more maple syrup.

 

Palate: I found Purpose & Provenance’s texture to be dense and creamy. The first sip was spicy. The post-palate shock sip revealed apples, pears, and honey on the front, with dark chocolate, roasted almonds, and hazelnuts on my mid-palate. I tasted tobacco leaves, cinnamon spice, and maple syrup on the back of my palate.  

 

Finish: Dark chocolate, hazelnuts, tobacco, cinnamon, and maple syrup lingered for a level, very long finish. Cinnamon was the last to fall off. I timed the experience at 2:12.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Most Irish whiskeys are triple-distilled. Two-thirds of the mashbills were double-distilled, which lent to the creamier mouthfeel. It is also responsible for the bolder flavors. The Oloroso Sherry casks created the nutty notes.

 

The more I engaged with Purpose & Provenance, the greater my pleasure became. I found that, despite the extended finish, I couldn’t wait for it to end so I could drink more. That’s not something I run into often; a longer finish lengthens the time spent to savor what’s in the glass. To want to rush it is entirely foreign to me; much had to do with the mouthfeel.

 

For $70.00, I believe Accord Stone offers one heck of a lovely Irish whiskey that is different than what you’d otherwise run across. I’m happy to convey my Bottle rating here. It is really, really good. Cheers! 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.