A Samurai in Three Bottles: Unlocking Nobushi’s Hidden Artwork

You might never have noticed, but the Japanese whisky bottle Nobushi doesn’t just come in any old packaging. It’s clearly been thoughtfully designed and looks seriously cool. Here’s exactly how it works.

Nobushi is a Japanese blended whisky available at most liquor stores. It’s made from a blend of Japanese malt and grain whiskies, resulting in a rich, rounded dram. But you might now be wondering: what is “Nobushi”?

The text on the back of the box gives it away: 'The Nobushi are an order of elite warriors descending from Japan’s feudal era, who have preserved teachings and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.'

In short, the whisky takes its name from the samurai. The box features an illustration of a Nobushi samurai warrior that wraps around three sides. The front shows the right side of the face with the right eye, the left side panel shows the left eye, and the back panel completes the face with the final (and smallest) section. It looks great if you buy a single bottle—but here’s the twist: if you have three bottles and line them up, the illustration becomes complete!

Three Nobushi bottles, and therefore the boxes of the Japanese whisky, reveal a full samurai warrior artwork. How fantastic is that?! Not that you’d necessarily buy the same bottle three times just for that, but it’s something you might not notice when you’re holding the bottle or have just bought it. The main reason to pick it up is, of course, the taste. The blend combines the character of Miyagi and Nagano and is aged for four years in American oak.

How cool is that?