IT has become the drink of choice in a tropical hotspot thousands of miles from its country of origin.

So popular has raising a dram become among the young middle-class residents of the port city of Recife in Brazil that consumption of whisky is higher per head of population than anywhere else in the world.

The city's new-found status as whisky-drinking capital of the world does not surprise Iain Smith, former Dean of the Faculty of Education at Strathclyde University. Smith, 64, and his wife, Joan, 63 were guests at the wedding of Gabriela Leao, 27, whom he met while she was studying at the university in Glasgow, and Rafael Drummond, 28.

Smith recalled yesterday: "There were uninterrupted and completely free supplies of whisky available from the start of the wedding reception through until about seven the following morning. It was very interesting. It was very noticeable to us and it wasn't just because we were there. Affluent Brazilians tend to think of whisky as the drink of choice."

Drams flowed at the reception to toast the newly-weds three weeks ago. The 500 guests went through 60 litres of Johnnie Walker Red Label, 150 bottles of champagne and 800 bottles of beer.

The groom, a finance manager, told the Sunday Herald: "Scotch is so fashionable. Years ago our then president, Fernando Collor de Mello, would appear on his boat drinking whisky.

"It's mostly men who enjoy a dram but older women drink it also.The weather is hot all year round and it can be such a refreshing drink. Scotch has become part of our culture.

"If people go to a club you see them buy a bottle for the table to show off. They'll opt the 12-year-old instead of the eight. Johnnie Walker is the most popular brand."

The bride, a publicist, said: "People drink Scotch to show they have money"

According to the Scotch Whisky Association, exports to Brazil surged by 50%, to £76m in the nine months to September, making the country the fastest-growing market for Scotch. And the 1.5 million residents of recife consumed more per head in that period than anywhere else on the globe.

Experts say members of the expanding middle class in Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries are using their new-found affluence to treat themselves to aspirational branded goods such as Scotch. Some Brazilians give the dram an exotic twist by adding coconut water.

Booming sales in other emerging markets caused a 23% surge in total exports of whisky last year to a record £3 billion, worth £125 each second to the UK's balance of payments.

The growth provided a significant boost to the Scottish economy during a period when firms in many industries have been grappling with extremely difficult economic conditions. Sales in France and America have also grown by 10% and sales in Asia were up by a third, with China and Japan especially spending more on whisky.

l Saude is Portuguese for good health.