New whiskey distilleries are opening up in Scotland and production is revving up at existing ones as sales take off in emerging markets. As with everything, China is driving part of this growth, but did you know sales have increased 44% in Brazil and 25% in Mexico? Ay Chihuahua!

That’s according to this story, As world develops a taste, Scotch Whiskies Pour it On.

The big question is, do consumers in these countries suddenly prefer the taste of Scotch over that of rum, pisco, or tequila, or is drinking it just a way to confer status? “Consumers will try to make statements about their success, and whisky is perfect for that,” says Sebastian Concha, global drinks analyst at insight firm Mintel. “This is a big driver across all of the developing world.”

Put on the Prada, pack up the Porche, and grab a bottle of Scotch for a gift.

The one odd stat in that article is that sales to Venezuela are up 73%, to a shipment value of 116 million pounds sterling. That more than $150 million wholesale value. That implies a lot more wealthy people are left in Venezuela that any other stats would indicate. I smell a smuggling ring…

Where are the world’s most expensive hotel suites? On this luxury travel blog I’m usually discussing the scene in Latin America, but since that whole region is a great value, the prices there don’t make the cut.

The Wall Street Journal recently did a big feature story on the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons New York City. If you want to book this lavish suite with panoramic Manhattan views, you’d better be loaded. It’ll cost you $35,000 a night. Don’t even think about asking for a discount and forget any party plans: because of all the expensive furnishings, no more than 10 people are allowed in at one time. Read the whole article to see all the expensive features that go into this price. But for a start, there’s a $120,000 chandelier, Thai silk with gold threads on the canopy bed, and an energy-hogging 850 light bulbs.

This is the most expensive suite in the Americas outside Las Vegas. Some there go for an even higher rate, but are frequently given away free to high-rolling whales with an account of half a million or more. Here are some of the other expensive suites from around the world listed in the article:

Hugh Hefner Sky Villa/Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas – Price per night: $40,000

Bridge Suite/Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas – Price per night: $25,000

Royal Auite/Burj Al Arab in Dubai – Price per night: $19,000

The Ritz-Carlton Suite/Ritz-Carlton, Moscow – Price per night: $13,900

How does Latin America compare? Well the only suite I can find in our reviews that tops $10,000 per  night is really a house: the four-bedroom Villa Cortez at the One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. It has a top rack rate of $12,000, but that includes a private staff of 12 (with two chefs), the huge private infinity pool pictured below, a big cinema room, a full office, and a prime spot on the beach.

The best suite at the Four Seasons Costa Rica goes for close to $10,000 in high season, but is also a villa with multiple bedrooms.

The top suite is under 5 grand at Capella Pedregal in Los Cabos, Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Ritz-Carlton Santiago, and the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

For more information on luxury travel and hotels outside of Latin America, see JustLuxe.com

“Who?” That was the response from most Americans when Forbes announced recently that Carlos Slim had passed Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world. The next question was usually, “A Mexican guy?! But…how?”

With a per-capita GDP that’s a fraction of the USA’s it is indeed hard to understand how a Mexican businessman can be worth more than the founder of Microsoft, but there are two good reasons. The first is that Bill Gates has been giving away his fortune almost as fast as he makes it lately, contributing to disease eradication around the world through the Gates Foundation.

The other reason is highlighted in this short article from Latin Trade: It’s Good to Be Slim. It’s hard to see all the details on this chart below, but if you follow the link and click on the original, it blows up larger.

Here’s the kicker: “His family’s net worth, built on investments in 200-plus companies, represents 6 percent of Mexico’s total gross domestic product. Slim makes John Rockefeller, whose fortune at its peak was but 2.5 percent of U.S. GDP, look small time.”

And here’s what Mexican people know all too well: “Whenever Mexicans make a call – or light up a smoke, go out to lunch or drive on a new highway – chances are Slim has a piece of the action.”

Several luxury goods makers have reported an increase in sales recently, with the latest being a 19% increase in year-over-year sales at Hermès reported last week. This is on the heels of LVMH reporting an 11% increase earlier. April same-store sales at Saks were up 3.2%.

What’s interesting though is much of this rebound is coming not from established markets, but from the developing world. Apparently we’ve moved on to other things, if you believe the results from a groundbreaking survey last month. Conducted by Dwell Research (an offshoot of Dwell magazine), the participants making $200,000 or more annual aren’t engaged with the brands you would expect. Here’s how Advertising Age saw the results:

According to the survey respondents, “luxury” brands, per se, are no longer important to them, or even relevant; neither is “overall social status,” they say. This generation of nouveau riche is shunning “conspicuous consumption” in favor of brands that represent quality, aesthetics and authenticity. These attributes, along with uniqueness, integrity, design and performance, represent today’s “prestige” for these high-end consumers. And their emerging values and brand motivations make these consumers a more diverse group than one might assume.

This is interesting because it ties into the dramatic growth in luxury tourism in Latin America. People go to Peru, Brazil, or Belize for very different reasons than they go to Paris or Dubai and it has very little to do with showing off. The tours are more authentic, the hotels are more individualistic, and the experiences are more about doing than being seen. Perhaps it’s part of the reason why nowhere in Latin America is the upscale hotel scene dominated by international chains. Apart from the rare Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton here and there, you stay in lodges or inns with a real sense of place.

A brand does not have to be expensive to attract New Affluents. What they’re now demanding from brands is a new and different kind of relationship. And, as supported by these findings, the days of controlled, top-down brand marketing are over, especially for this sector. These wealthy and would-be elites are actually looking for brand interaction — a dialogue — based on integrity, authenticity and performance. And not only are they equipped for interaction, they’re demanding it.

So what brands do New Affluents find meaningful, authentic and relevant? Apple, Sony, BMW and Ralph Lauren, unsurprisingly. But Crate & Barrel, Ikea, Whole Foods and Levi’s, too. Porsche, Lexus, Chanel and Viking. And Target, North Face, Volkswagen and The Gap. Missing from this segment’s 75 favorites list are classic luxury brands like Cadillac, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani and Versace.

It may not surprise you, if you’ve spent time on adventure tours in Central or South America, that Gucci and Versace don’t make much of an appearance—except when you’re around upwardly mobile locals. What you will see on travelers are lots of are brands that are defined by durability and quality. North Face, yes, and also ExOfficio, Tilley, Keen, Eagle Creek, and Canon. Whether ungodly wealthy or just well off enough to travel in style now and then, we’re looking for brands that deliver and have integrity.

The one big caveat in this study is the median age was 45. So grandma may still care about the prestige of the label. If you’re looking to the future though, attributes like integrity, sustainability, and value are going to have to trump sheer cachet.

Here’s the full analysis from AdAge

What about you? Do luxury brands still matter, whether it’s Armani or Aman Resorts?

In a new attempt to stay ahead of people trying to copy the world’s most popular and portable unit of currency, the U.S. treasury is rolling out an even more complicated $100 bill on February 10. According to this story in the Wall Street Journal, there are some nifty new touches.

“The 3-D security ribbon contains images of bells that transform to numeral 100s that turn into images of bells, and back again, as the note is moved. When the note is tilted back and forth, some images on the ribbon appear to move side to side. If the note is shifted side to side, these images slide up or down.”

Also there’s an inkwell that changes color from copper to green and the movement will also make a Liberty Bell appear.

If you’re going to be traveling after mid-February, be sure to request the latest versions for the cash you’ll carry. The older your bills, the more hassle you’ll get at banks and money changers because the older ones are easier to copy. (I once went traipsing around to every kiosk in Cusco trying to change a stupid pair of $20 bills that were the version before last.)

You can see images and video of the new bill at www.newmoney.gov