From The Winemaker

The House of Sandeman was founded in London in 1790 by George Sandeman, a young Scotsman from Perth who borrowed £300 to invest in a wine trading business with products from Porto and Jerez. More than 230 years later, an average of 21 bottles of Sandeman are bought every minute in more than 75 countries. The Sandeman portfolio includes Ports, Sherries and Madeiras and has been recognized as the world’s most awarded portfolio of Aged Tawnies for the past six years by Decanter, IWC and IWSC. As for the infamous Sandeman Don, a Scottish artist named George Massiot Brown approached Sandeman in 1928 to design a poster to advertise the brand. Incorporating the company’s Ports of Portugal and their Spanish Sherries, The Don is wearing a wide-brimmed Spanish hat like the caballeros of Jerez and a Portuguese student’s cape. The Don became famous and was one of the very first design icons for wine.