Monopoly states for alcohol sales are interesting. We would know- our home state of Pennsylvania has state-controlled liquor sales and has only recently opened up the distribution of wine and beer.
So when we visited Norway and read about their strict control of alcohol, we knew a bit about what to expect.
As it turns out, their state liquor store, Vinmonopolet, is actually pretty good in terms of selection and price- the latter by US standards at least. The only downside? The stores are few and far between!