Well it has been awhile since my last post….the staff at Kargo Kilts have been busy looking after orders and are assisting in the planning of the 2009 Saint John Scottish Festival!!

We are looing forward to this new annual event, and the promotion of the Scottish culture in this historic city.

Stay tuned to this blog and be sure to bookmark www.saintjohnscottishfestival.ca and check frequently for updtes and news.

Cheers for now

A few weeks ago I had the real pleasure of attending a Whisky Tasting hosted by the Saint Andrews Society of Saint John,( 3rd or 4th yr running now) with  Frank Scot as our Presenter this year.

We had the following 6 Whiskys for sampling, below are our findings for Tasting/Nosing

1st: Glenfarclas - 10yr

Sweetness  9                 Peatness 5

Colour: Pale, Straw

Nose:  Sherry Sweetness, nuttiness, some smoke

Falvour:  Sweet, Malty

Finish: Sweet, long lasting, slightly spicy

2nd: Glenfarclas - 12 yr

Sweetness   7             Peatness  5

Colour:  Bronze

Nose:  Ripe Fruit, Lemmon, nuts, oak & sherry, honey

Falvour: Toffee, fruit, vanilla,peat smoke

Finish: Long with Oaky notes

3rd: Glanfarclas - 15 yr

Sweetness  9                 Peatness  4

Colour: Amber

Nose:  Full, rich, oily oak, delicately peated

Falvour:  Sweet, rich and creamy, full bodied

Finish: Long and smooth, gently smoky

4th: Glenfarclas - 21 yr

Sweetness  9                 Peatness  4

Colour:  Dark Amber

Nose:  Rich, sweet vanilla oak,hints of mint

Falvour:  Raisiny, spicy,gingery, delicate smoke

Finish: Rich long lasting, lots of sherry, sweetish

5th: Macallan - 12 yr

Sweetness  2                 Peatness  7

Colour: Gold with yellow highlights

Nose:  White chocolate, fudge, honey, fruity

Falvour:  Honey, nutty toffee, dried fruits

Finish: Long, spicy,very satisfying

6th: - Macallan - Cask Strength

Sweetness  7                 Peatness 3

Colour: Reddish Mahogany

Nose:  Oak sherry, Winey

Falvour:  Robust, dry maltiness, hard toffee, dried fruits, nutty, oily

Finish: Oaky dryness, slightly astringent

Our group of 22-25 tasters of the evening had a pleasant time and we had unanimously agreed that the nights favorite Whisky was the  Glenfaclas 21 yr Old.

The presenter Mr. Scott was  fantastic and enthusiastic facilitator and delivered a informative session, where everyone walked away with a greater knowledge of the Scotch process and flavors.

With no doubt it will become a most popular event year after year.

Cheers

Kilted1

I heard about this a few weeks ago, found the story and thought it would benefit everyone…

By CHRIS MARSHALL

THEY have been branded the kings of “tartan tat”.

So when discount supermarket chain Lidl announced plans to sell Scotland’s national dress for just £25, the Gold Brothers were naturally determined to repel the challenge to their crown.

Now the Royal Mile retailers have announced plans to sell a range of kilts for £19.99 – which they say will make them the cheapest in Scotland.

Dildar Singh, who along with his uncles runs the family’s chain of gift shops in the city, said the decision to reduce his cheapest kilts from £40 to £19.99 was a direct response to Lidl entering the market last week.

“We’ve been selling cheap kilts for two or three years. Now Lidl are jumping on the bandwagon.

“We’re going to go into direct competition with them and show people that we are prepared to keep prices low.”

Mr Gold said he could “guarantee” that the kilts, which are manufactured in China, were good quality and had not been made using child labour. “There are a lot of people who can’t afford £1000 or £500 for a kilt,” he said.

“Does that mean they’re not allowed to wear the national dress? Kilts are just so expensive, we’re providing a service to those who can’t afford one elsewhere.”

Cut-price kilts have been sold for as little as £20 before by the Gold Brothers but this is the first time a range of tartans have been sold across all their stores.

The price reductions mean the whole Highland outfit can be bought for £185, compared to the usual price of between £500 and £1000. However, the move will do little to calm the growing tensions amid the city’s tartan retails.

Kiltmaker Geoffrey Nicholsby has repeatedly spoken out against “tartan tat”, amid growing tension between him and the Gold brothers. The Gold Brothers have hit back saying their souvenir stores give tourists what they want.

Brian Wilton, a spokesman for the Scottish Tartans Authority, said cut-price kilts from abroad were bad for the industry’s reputation but not regarded as a serious threat to business.

He said: “It certainly devalues the Highland dress industry if people are buying cheap kilts under the impression that they’re made here in Scotland.

“But I don’t think the industry will be worried about this.”

Lidl said its kilts were being provided by “a Scottish supplier,” but could not say where they had been made. A spokeswoman said the kilts were aimed at those who wanted to wear national dress for Burns Night but could not afford a traditional version.

CUT-PRICE CLOTH

How the Gold Brothers’ kilts compare to the cheapest on offer elsewhere:

• Geoffrey (Tailor) Kiltmakers, High Street £160

• Nicolson Highlandwear, High Street £150

• John Morrison Kiltmakers, High Street £75

• Lidl, stores nationwide £25

This story is courtesy of News.Scotland.com

Side note all of the Tartan Kilts provided by Kargo KIlts are Milled by Lochcarrorn of Scotland or House of Edgar.

All non tartan materials are a cotton twill blend produced here in Canada or the USA.

Kargo Kilts is pleased to announce the new 2008 line of Heathergems jewellery!!!

What is a Heathergem?

Made from natural Heather stems
HeatherGems are painstakingly handmade from the gnarled-like stems of heather - a visually striking common Scottish plant renowned for its rich purple bloom.
HeatherGems have been created for more than 20 years in the picturesque town of Pitlochry right in the heart of the stunningly scenic Central Highlands of Scotland.
The location is ideal as the surrounding hills provide an excellent source of our raw material.
The heather used is much too mature to provide any nutrition for wildlife and is pulled in an environmentally-friendly manner which helps promotes the growth of new heather. The stems are dried, shotblasted to remove the bark, and dyed various colors using natural dyes.
Stems of different colours are then mixed and compressed into a block - and 80 tons of pressure is required to compress the block of stems.. The block is then sliced and individual pieces are cut, shaped, honed and filled by highly-skilled craftworkers before being lacquered to give the distinctive final finish.
The pieces of jewelry are now set into silver and pewter fittings. A number of these fittings use beautiful and ornate Celtic designs dating back to the time of St.Columba and the dawn of Christianity in Scotland.

to see this beautiful jewellery click here of go to our man site kargokilts.com and select Heathergems from the list.

 I thought it might be beneficial to some new folks to hear 1st hand  , what comments you may or may not receive while being kilted:
 I was in the men’s facilities…. a young man came in and said” hey the ladies room is next door”" giggle” my reply was “well I guess YOUR in the wrong one”.During the winter  months I always get ” are you cold?”….  ahh no …If you where open to anything but pants you might realize hey these are comfortable and WARM!
When I wear pants for more than a few days at a time, I get asked …”hey no kilt?”I enjoy the wearin o’ the kilt, I am not ashamed of wearing one, I have about a dozen (helps when your partner owns the company)…. last year for tartan day… I wore a concrete jungle camo kilt…… yeah I stuck out like a sore thumb….did  I care ..hell no, after the ceremonies of Tartan Day we  retreated to Pete’s Pub…. where my camo kilt was renamed as the Angus Kilt, a new hybrid of a highland tartan or should I  say camo.Being kilted at first is going to be a oh dam “everyone is looking”…. well consider yourself the best dressed on around and carry on your day!
Even my fiancé makes a comment or two….all for the good and usually “a you’re so handsome…..” what an ego boost!!!..I love it.My opinion is those who make the comments are one of 2 things: 1: Ignorant ,
2: would love to be the one wearing it, but are too willing to conform to “society clothing rules”….
be the best dressed and the most comfortable one in your crowd.We went for a day trip to Grand  Mannan last summer.. I was kilted the entire time… even when we wher on the upper deck and the wind blew my kilt up, I’m sure the folks below got a good show!….. LOL…… who cares…. I continued down the stairs.  We had a great time.
I went on a ship inspection on the Holland America Cruise ship the Massdam last July…. I was asked if I could have my picture taken…meanwhile we are on this ship to find out all the details and to take out own pictures of the day….. I guess I stole the show……. and yes I was the best dressed and the most relaxed and comfortable one on the ship! I guess if you’re considering going kilted…. Just do it… remember a few pointers: the pleats go in the back! wear a Sporran(keeps your modesty)….. and relax those that are looking are wondering……. what is he wearing under that kilt! 
Remember
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FREEDOM!!!
Cheers
 Rick aka:kilted1

Kargo Kilts is sponsoring a Kilt Night….. in support ot the Saint Andrews Society of Saint John… we are hosting a night of comraderie and kiltedness.

Find details here

Contact Rick at: 468-2713  or John :639-5567

 I came across this site a while ago….. I keep checking back on updates…. I wonder how many more clans they will have registed before the event starts…. check it out

http://www.clangathering.org/

The Saint Andrew’s Society of Saint John held it’s 40th Annual Burns Supper  on Jan 25th.

We had a great turnout for the dinner, even the deputy mayor Michelle Hooten and her husband where in attendance, along with 100 plus society members and guests.

As a marshall, I was our duty to carry in the Haggis and to oversee our time schedule.  Everything went off without a hitch.. great work on everyones part behind the scenes to make sure this was a well organized event…. hats off to all the volunteers.

It’s a nice feeling being the best dressed group of men in the building that night….. Kilted of course!

Some pictures  can be found  on the Saint Andrew’s Society of Saint John website

First off………it is a complete pisser when you loose your database and the past 2 months of posts and info…I woke up Saturday morning to a  pile of gibberish on the screen where this blog should have been……a very confused W.T.F? look came across my face…. I added a post the night before with no issues… grrrr… so I got looking into the problem from my secondary PC… my usuall PC was getting a New OS installed…and before I rememberd my last back up was on it… ohh do you wantto format that drive?… ahh sure why not….I got everything off it……… click next…… bam …….. well I thought I had everything I wanted off it…. too little too late…

So I have restored from a previous backup….. and now I start over and continue the Kilt blog….with a daily back up to my flashdrive…every night!

I  recieve many emails on the correct names, and how to wear the kilt and accessories….. what better way to explain it than this fantastic E-Book:

Download Kilts & Tartan free e-book

Recommended: Free Kilts & Tartan e-book “Buying your Kilt - Made Easy” An Expert Insider’s Frank Views and Simple Tips by Dr Nicholas J Fiddes (Governor, Scottish Tartans Authority) Why you should wear a kilt, and what kind of kilt to get How to source true quality, and avoid the swindlers Find your own tartans, and get the best materials Know the outfit for any occasion, and understand accessories