Tasting Britain
TastingBritain.co.uk - #Sandeman225 / Sandeman's 225th Anniversary @ The Sign Of The Don, Bank, London
Tasting Britain had the pleasure of attending the legendary House of Sandemanâs 255th anniversary party / birthday party (yup, they go all the way back to 1790), which was held in the cellars under the legendary Sign Of The Don in Bank. The Sign Of The Don is actually on the site of the original Sandeman wine cellars/warehouse, so they couldnât really have picked a better spot. I have been told that it has one of the best port & sherry menus in the city, though since I spent the entire evening in a cellar drinking port (as oppose to in said bar) I canât say if thatâs true or not!
Why âSign Of The Donâ? 'The Sandeman Donâ, with his flowing black cape and Spanish Caballeroâs flat-brimmed hat is Sandemanâs mascot (not sure if this is the right word?) - The Don, some readers may remember some of Sandemanâs older ad campaigns in which he featured. Itâs a pretty romantic image (The Mask Of Zorro, anyone?) though I donât know what it has to do with flogging port. Maybe he has port bottles in that billowing cape of his? I am told that heâs one of the 3 most famous characters in the alcoholic drinks industry, worldwide. I dunno who the other two are, all I can think of is The Most Interesting Man In The World (and he probably doesnât countâ¦). The building in which the Sign Of The Don is found can be traced back to 1342 - which is when the Worshipful Company of Drapers bought it to use as their first meeting hall.
Anyway, George Sandeman - scion and 7th generation of the house that bears his name, was in attendance (thatâs him giving the speeches and enduring all of my photos). He is, presumably, privy to the secrets and wisdom acquired through 7 generations of port making (and I wonder what that teaches you...). Asides from celebrating the fact that this company is fkn OLD, they were also launching a special, short lived 6 label production of Sandemanâs 2000 Vintage Porto. Though each contained, essentially, the same vintage - the branding on each bottle is very different and I think that they are collectable in the way that you may have used to collect limited edition breakfast cereals or Pokemon (j/k port is WAY more serious than pokemon)
Anyway, said bottles include 'THE WORDâ - which is a testament to George Sandemanâs belief that you should always do what you say youâll do (even when you donât want to do it anymore). Another is 'THE SPIRITâ, a tribute to the other George Sandeman, Sandemanâs founder and the man who was known to possess âthe great spiritâ of enterprise (he built up Sandeman into a massive booze empire in about 7 years, I think). Sandeman were a big part in developing the port industry that we Brits know and love today. With their branding savvy, they were, supposedly, the first shipper to brand Porto Wine Casks as a thing (albeit with their own brand - they would burn âGSCâ onto the wood) - helping to create the category. Another thing I learnt was that Sandeman also produce Sherry, Madeira and Brandies - though not once in my life do I remember ever seeing one in a bar...
TastingBritain.co.uk - #Sandeman225 / Sandeman's 225th Anniversary @ The Sign Of The Don, Bank, London
Tasting Britain had the pleasure of attending the legendary House of Sandemanâs 255th anniversary party / birthday party (yup, they go all the way back to 1790), which was held in the cellars under the legendary Sign Of The Don in Bank. The Sign Of The Don is actually on the site of the original Sandeman wine cellars/warehouse, so they couldnât really have picked a better spot. I have been told that it has one of the best port & sherry menus in the city, though since I spent the entire evening in a cellar drinking port (as oppose to in said bar) I canât say if thatâs true or not!
Why âSign Of The Donâ? 'The Sandeman Donâ, with his flowing black cape and Spanish Caballeroâs flat-brimmed hat is Sandemanâs mascot (not sure if this is the right word?) - The Don, some readers may remember some of Sandemanâs older ad campaigns in which he featured. Itâs a pretty romantic image (The Mask Of Zorro, anyone?) though I donât know what it has to do with flogging port. Maybe he has port bottles in that billowing cape of his? I am told that heâs one of the 3 most famous characters in the alcoholic drinks industry, worldwide. I dunno who the other two are, all I can think of is The Most Interesting Man In The World (and he probably doesnât countâ¦). The building in which the Sign Of The Don is found can be traced back to 1342 - which is when the Worshipful Company of Drapers bought it to use as their first meeting hall.
Anyway, George Sandeman - scion and 7th generation of the house that bears his name, was in attendance (thatâs him giving the speeches and enduring all of my photos). He is, presumably, privy to the secrets and wisdom acquired through 7 generations of port making (and I wonder what that teaches you...). Asides from celebrating the fact that this company is fkn OLD, they were also launching a special, short lived 6 label production of Sandemanâs 2000 Vintage Porto. Though each contained, essentially, the same vintage - the branding on each bottle is very different and I think that they are collectable in the way that you may have used to collect limited edition breakfast cereals or Pokemon (j/k port is WAY more serious than pokemon)
Anyway, said bottles include 'THE WORDâ - which is a testament to George Sandemanâs belief that you should always do what you say youâll do (even when you donât want to do it anymore). Another is 'THE SPIRITâ, a tribute to the other George Sandeman, Sandemanâs founder and the man who was known to possess âthe great spiritâ of enterprise (he built up Sandeman into a massive booze empire in about 7 years, I think). Sandeman were a big part in developing the port industry that we Brits know and love today. With their branding savvy, they were, supposedly, the first shipper to brand Porto Wine Casks as a thing (albeit with their own brand - they would burn âGSCâ onto the wood) - helping to create the category. Another thing I learnt was that Sandeman also produce Sherry, Madeira and Brandies - though not once in my life do I remember ever seeing one in a bar...