I'm wondering if the article in Wikipedia is really based on "alcohol consumption" and not Alcohol reported to be sold in the country?

There is a clear reason why Luxembourg is on top. The taxes on alcohol is (very) low in Luxembourg and a lot of people from the countries closed to Luxembourg (Belgium, France and Germany) are buying their alcohol there. We don't forget the travellers (Luxembourg is a crossroad in EU) making a stop in Luxembourg...

That explanation could work for Luxembourg. But Ireland?

I hang out a couple times a year in Europe with a group of primarily Irish, Germans, and Danes and the Danes are the only ones I ever see drinking at breakfast. They're also the only ones who've ever commented on the fact that I wasn't having a beer at lunch...

> According to this listing, Australia is not even in the top 20:

That was back in 2003.

These days Australians take their drinking far more seriously:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_alc_con-food-alcohol-c...

  SOURCE: OECD Health Data 2005

That data set is not very recent as well.

That list doesn't account for the type of alcohol. A liter of whiskey would do more than a liter of beer. Point: Australia could be drunker if they drink relatively more hard alcohol than those higher on the list, giving mahmud the win.

I'm pretty sure they count only the quantity of ethanol consumed.

Yes. It lists 12l of alcohol for Germany where the average person drinks more than a hundred liters of beer.

That answers it. Half of my social circle in .au are Irishmen ;-)