A tale of two chapels has been bottled as Rosslyn Chapel launches a rum crafted on the uninhabited Orkney island of Lamb Holm, which is also home to the Italian Chapel.
Rosslyn has released Rosabelle, a three-year-old pure single Scottish rum matured in ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, as the latest product to mark its connection with Orkney, which stretches back nearly 600 years.
Sir William St Clair, founder of Rosslyn Chapel, was the third and last St Clair Prince of Orkney, a title that came to the family through the marriage of his great-grandfather, William St Clair, to Isabella, the daughter and heir of Malise V of Strathearn, who was also Earl of Orkney and Caithness.
After William’s death, his son Henry was recognised as 42nd Earl of Orkney in 1369 and ten years later as the first St Clair Prince of Orkney.
The title transferred to his son, also Henry, and then again to William, who was installed at a ceremony on 9 August 1434 and kept the title until February 1472, when Orkney was annexed to the Scottish Crown permanently by King James III.
The Rosabelle rum is named after the ill-fated heroine of Sir Walter Scott’s 1805 poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which tells the tragic story of a young noblewoman from the St Clair family.
Ignoring warnings of an approaching storm, she sets sail across the Firth of Forth to attend a ball at Rosslyn Castle. When Rosabelle is lost at sea, legend tells of a mysterious crimson glow appearing over Rosslyn Chapel and Castle – a feature which is noted in the bottle’s label.
The island of Lamb Holm measures barely half a kilometre wide, but has packed significant history into its tiny square mileage.
Like Rosslyn, it is home to a unique chapel, known as the Italian Chapel, which was constructed by 550 Italian prisoners of war during World War II.
The Italians, who were housed in a site named Camp 60 on the island, were put to work building the Churchill Barriers – four causeways in the Orkney islands originally built as naval defences but now serving as road links.
The camp’s commandant and priest soon agreed that the workers required a place of worship and, under the leadership of prisoner Domenico Chiocchetti, transformed a simple iron structure into an elaborate concrete and plasterwork chapel, decorated and painted with ornate artworks.
The building remained after the prisoners’ departure and has been preserved ever since, still being used as a chapel to this day.
Ian Gardner, director of Rosslyn Chapel Trust, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating these historic links and, at the same time, supporting businesses in Orkney.
“Our shop now stocks gin from Orkney Distilling, which is distilled in Kirkwall, as well as savoury biscuits from Argo’s Bakery and beautiful jewellery by Sheila Fleet, which was inspired by the Chapel.
“Our new rum, produced by J Gow Rum, is already proving popular and, as Rosslyn Chapel Trust is a charity, every purchase in our shop or through our website supports our conservation work.”
Rosslyn Chapel is open to visitors throughout the year. Founded by Sir William St Clair in 1446, it is renowned for its countless unique medieval stone carvings and found worldwide fame when it featured in Dan Brown’s 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film.Holy Spirits: Rosslyn Chapel releases rum crafted on home of famous Italian Chapel
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