Apparently Chinese imports of whisky have increased from about £2 million in 2001 to about £45 million in 2005 (this is where I read it: Seattle Times meaning China is now in the top 10 whisky-drinking countries in the world.
The bit of the news I found particularly interesting was the new ‘cocktail’ that I hadn’t heard about previously – whisky with sweet green tea. I might have to try that. All kinds of health benefits!