Whether he is or isn't, there is certainly one place that he's not and that is The Bowmore Round Church on the Scottish Island of Islay. It is the oldest building on the island with construction starting in 1767 and finishing in 1769. Its construction was initiated by Daniel Campbell The Younger, the son and heir to a wealthy merchant family from Argyle.
An inscription etched into a stone block above the entrance to the building has a Latin inscription which translates as;
"With pious intent, and to promote truth and honour, Daniel Campbell, lord of this island, built at his own expense in the year 1767, this church dedicated to the supreme God."
The village of Bowmore sprang up around the church in 1768 and was originally built to re-house the inhabitants of Kilarrow who were not directly employed by the Islay estate. The church boasts commanding views of the village and Loch Indaal and is still open for weekly worship to the islands current residents. The round church was the focal point for the population of Bowmore and its legend is the inspiration for a very special whisky!
Legend has it that the round church was built in a circular fashion so that there were no corners in the building. Why you may ask? To keep the Devil out of course! It is an old Christian belief that the devil hides in the corners of a room and the God fearing people of the time certainly did not want Lucifer inhabiting their new church (despite the fact that it could easily pass as the setting for a horror film on a stormy night!). That is why, in Christian homes and religious structures, you often find crucifixes or statues depicting saints in the four corners of the room to ward away the Unholy One.
Thankfully, the Devil was not homeless for long as he found a nice place to stay when the famous Bowmore Distillery opened in 1779! He's been very busy producing superb single malt whisky for the last 234 years (he must of hated the round barrels though!) and a limited edition whisky has been released to celebrate this local legend.
It is aptly named the 'The Devils Cask' and is being produced in extremely limited numbers with only 540 bottles available in the UK. Bowmore's characteristic rich flavour is further enhanced by the maturation process occurring in the finest first fill sherry casks.
Here at Drink Finder, we are lucky enough to be receiving a small quantity of this rare whisky and orders will be by allocation only. Please get in contact with us ASAP if you would like to own one of these unique bottles. After all, who doesn't want to taste the Devil's produce?