How do you keep an Irishman sober

Have a look at this graph I took from the BBC article here.
I absolutely adore how the excise rate is directly correlated to their reputation for drunkenness. Whether these reputations are justified or not, it's always fun to have stereotypes supported by data.
The question is, of course, are the governments of these countries taxing vices they wish their countrymen to cut down on, or are they merely exploiting the price inelasticities?