A new research study has revealed that the French are the whisky-drinking world champions and some are predicting France could overtake Scotland and become global leaders in actually making the spirit too.

Bonial, Paris-based consultancy firm, which carried out the study, says whisky is now so popular in France that is rapidly becoming that country's national drink.

According to Independent, the average whisky consumption by a French adult is 2.15 litres a year - and that's on top of all the wine, cognac and pastis they drink, according to researchers

According to Telegraph, to put it in perspective, that's 140 million litres of whisky in total, which would fill 45 Olympic swimming pools.

That was enough to put France on the top of the global league table for the biggest whisky drinkers in the world.

In the US, the home of Bourbon, they only drink 1.44 litres of whisky per person each year and in Britain it's 1.25 litres per person, ever so slightly ahead of the Irish on 1.24 litres per person.

Even the French press were taken aback.

"You thought that the biggest drinkers of whisky were the Americans, the Irish or the Scottish? You are wrong. It's....the French!" wrote Europe 1 radio.

Not only does France top the world table for whisky drinkers, but the tipple is also the most popular spirit in France, which is not short of popular spirits.

Some 38 percent of the spirits downed in France are whiskies.

Bonial pointed out that whisky is enjoyed by all social classes in France due to the relatively low prices of a bottle. While Scottish malts and blends accounted for 90 percent of the whisky drunk, the favourite brand was actually Jack Daniels.

Yet the French love of Scotch is burgeoning, with France the world's biggest importer of Scotch whisky - some 200 million bottles are downed each year.

Bonial revealed more and more people are testing their taste buds on rarer and more expensive brands.

But things may change.

While French distilleries currently only produce around 700,000 bottles a year, French whisky makers are convinced that they will one day compete with Irish and Scottish brands.

Nicolas Julhès, the head of the Distillerie de Paris told The Times: "Within 15 years the world's best whiskies will be French. We will be able to stop copying the Scots and bring a real French style. We have the greatest specialists on the ageing [of alcoholic drinks] who have always worked in wine and cognac."

So either Scotland needs to up its game or quickly learn how to make cognac.