Drawing on a recent review of studies of the impact of alcohol control changes in the Nordic countries (particularly Finland, Norway and Sweden), this paper reviews the development of research traditions of such studies in the Nordic countries. From the Nordic experience, there is evidence of variation in the effects of policy changes by demographic segment, by type of problem and by drinking pattern and amount. Policy changes have often had their greatest effect on heavier drinkers. Big reductions in alcohol taxes in Denmark in 2003 and Finland in 2004 offer a new chance to study whose drinking changes how much, and in what contexts, in a collaborative study comparing northern Sweden with Finland, Denmark and southern Sweden.