I hear this said a lot, but is there an example you can think of of a mainstream Japanese whiskey --- a Nikka or Suntory, for instance --- that isn't 100% Japanese spirit? There's Akashi, but the controversy there is that it's not 100% whiskey, not that it isn't 100% Japanese.

That was really interesting thanks, did not know that. I like a glass of Yamazaki on the rocks but to me Japanese whiskies have always been a little too smooth and balanced to enjoy neat anyway, compared to a lot of Scotch whiskys which have more character and more rough edges.