Julia Christine Botin

Dolphy's iconic Banayad Whisky is finally real: Here's where you can get it

Article (news)

Jeeves De Veyra

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745916954244Epy with Banayad Whisky.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Epy Quizon, son of the late Comedy King Dolphy, holds bottles of their Pidol&#x27;s Banayad Whisky. Jeeves De Veyra</div>Instantly iconic and memeable, the internet has given a new life to comedy legend Dolphy&#x27;s classic &quot;Banayad Whisky&quot; sketch.With millions of views across different platforms, the sketch from the 1995 movie&quot;Father En Son&quot; casts Dolphy as an actor shooting an ad for Banayad Whiskey. As the shoot goes, he&#x27;s soldiering on -- gulping the super strong whisky and muttering the line &quot;lasang blade&quot; in one take.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DuYMtWcdiy0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>With the popularity of that scene, someone was bound to make and sell a bottle of Banayad Whisky. Some were lambanog from the provinces, some were sketchier from parts unknown.When one that was sold with Dolphy&#x27;s face on the label went viral on Facebook, the heirs had to take action. Besides the intellectual property, they were concerned that the late Comedy King and the Quizon name would be dragged if something untoward happened as a result of drinking the fly-by-night liquor. The Quizons even had to post public disclaimers that they were in no way associated with that bottle.As a result, they formed PBW Manila Enterprise Inc., which stands for Pidol&#x27;s Banayad Whisky. As the owner of the brand and the intellectual property, PBW&#x27;s whisky legitimately displays the comedian&#x27;s face on the bottles, together with a razor blade tag as a nod to the original sketch.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745917123785IMG_7539.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>The PBW Whiskies come with razor blade tags. Jeeves De Veyra</div>Epy shared that the Comedy King was actually a fan of dark liquor, notably whisky but more of cognac, but had to shift to wine because of health issues. Thus, PBW had to be premium to do justice to Dolphy&#x27;s legacy.They don’t take the &quot;Scotch&quot; label lightly -- one of their partners had a contact in Scotland that supplied whiskies for projects such as this. Epy recalled that the Scotsman initially had doubts supplying the heirs with whisky. But after he was shown the video with millions of views, he recognized it as a cult classic and flew to the Philippines with samples.They chose two blended expressions: a 3-year-old for easy drinking, and a 12-year-old for those who want a stronger drink. After an initial sip, I&#x27;d guess that these are Speyside whiskies.The blended scotch is honeyed, light and floral. On the rocks, it makes for a refreshing drink. This would be good with appetizers or dessert.The 12-year-old is thicker, but uncomplicated and approachable. This may be a bit too straightforward for veteran whisky lovers looking for funk, peat, and smoke. The smoke and oak are there, but not dramatic enough to make this an unfriendly dram. This is sweet and honeyed with a surprisingly smooth finish with just a little bit of burn -- a nice whisky to pair with a main course or local Pinoy barbecue inihaw.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745917016544Dollphy&#x27;s heirs manning the Travel Fair Banayad Whisky booth.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Dolphy&#x27;s heirs manning the Travel Fair PBW booth. Jeeves De Veyra </div>Right now, these are only available directly through Dolphy&#x27;s heirs, as they are still finalizing distribution rights. For now, fans can get the bottles autographed and dated as collector&#x27;s editions as the heirs have a direct hand in sales and marketing. They plan to also have gin and tequila as operations smoothen out.Finally, to answer the question, &quot;Lasang blade ba?&quot;I&#x27;d say, &quot;Huwaw, swabe.&quot;PBW Blended Scotch (700ml) has an SRP of P2,499, with the 12-year-old (700ml) at an SRP of P3,499. Visit the brand&#x27;s social media pages for more information. Interested parties can also call 0917-5928900 and look for Ms. Em.

Instantly iconic and memeable, the internet has given a new life to comedy legend Dolphy's classic "Banayad Whisky" sketch.

Instantly iconic and memeable, the internet has given a new life to comedy legend Dolphy's classic "Banayad Whisky" sketch.