Madras (cloth) handwoven (evidenced by the small flaws in the fabric). Cotton madras is woven from a fragile, short-staple cotton fiber that can't be combed, only carded, resulting in bumps known as slubs which are thick spots in the yarn that give madras its unique texture. The cotton is hand-dyed after being spun into yarn, woven and finished in some 200 small villages in the Madras area. Madras fabric is generally regarded as belonging to the peasant class in its native India. Dutch traders arrived in India in the early 1600s to trade in the local calico cloth, followed by the British.
North Port distillery North Port distillery The North Port distillery was a distillery in Brechin, Angus that produced single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery was latterly owned by "Distillers Company" through its subsidiary "Mitchell Brothers". Brothers David, John and Alexander Guthrie, members of a local farming family, founded the North Port Distillery in 1820 under the name "Townhead Distillery" and created the holding company, "Townhead Distillery Company", as owner. The distillery was renamed "Brechin Distillery" in 1823, and in 1825, the holding company became "Guthrie, Martin & Company". The Glencadam Distillery was founded in 1825, a few hundred yards from the North Port,