Accord Stone - Irish Whiskey Review - July 2026

Accord Stone Irish Whiskey is an independent brand that launched in 2025. This premium sourced blend is named for an ancient part of Celtic folklore. So what is an Accord Stone?

The story goes that ancient Celts placed standing stones containing a hole on common ground for the purpose of taking oaths or marriage vows, sealing agreements, and binding contracts. This was done by shaking hands through the stone. Most of these stones have been lost to time; however, there are several notable examples remaining in Ireland. 

The most famous accord stone is probably located at the Old Head of Kinsale links golf course in Co. Cork, now serving as a target guide on the 5th tee. The whiskey's website lists 6 remaining accord stones in Ireland, 3 marriage, 1 gathering, 1 bargaining, and 1 of unknown type. The brand latches on to the accord stone's theme of bringing people together, in this case to enjoy their whiskey.

A cynic might question whether this is just another sourced blend with a gimmicky marketing angle to take advantage of the growing popularity of Irish Whiskey. While examples aplenty reside on US shelves, the Accord Stone differs in two important ways. First, the marketing angle is based on actual Irish traditions and provides some historical knowledge, rather than just a cheesy cultural stereotype. Travelers can actually seek out these stones and even create a de facto Irish Whiskey trail. Second, this premium blend does not fall into the category of minimum 3 year old, 40% abv expressions at the low end of the cost range.

Accord Stone's Batch 1 Irish Whiskey known as Purpose & Provenance is a premium blend consisting of two single malts and a single grain whiskey. The single malts, a double distilled and triple distilled from Great Northern in Co. Dundalk, are aged for 7 years in sherry and ex-bourbon casks. These are blended with a single grain whiskey aged 12 years in oloroso sherry casks. The overall non-age statement blend is slow cut, non-chill filtered with no color added before being bottled at a robust 50% abv.

Official Tasting notes:

Nose: aromas of sticky toffee pudding, maple syrup and honey

Palate: dark chocolate hazelnuts, salted caramel, cigar tobacco, & bourbon-soaked apples

Great nose and mouthfeel make for a quality blend. Nose is complex with dark stewed fruits. Good syrupy weight with subtle nutmeg spice in the background of the fig and raisin flavors. The expression is from US based Northern Courage, LLC in Indiana. Retail stores in Indiana, Illinois, and California stock the brand. It is also available to purchase directly from their website with shipping to 45 US states. The cost of ~$65 is higher than average blends but this is a better quality than most at stronger abv, justifying a bigger price tag. Shipping is relatively cheap at less than $20 per bottle. Worth giving this one a try especially if entertaining friends and want a slightly elevated but still approachable tasting experience. In Ireland it's known as "stone skiffing", but this is one Stone that you do not want to "skip."