Yep, Ireland and scotland with long histories of whiskey/whisky also have buckfast sold everywhere, for teens and uni students to get drunk.

There is good and bad quality everywhere. I think the difference from the USA perspective is that you have to be in the know to get the good stuff. Standard fare is usually mass produced and low quality. Probably due to the size of the potential market meaning price points are even more important for a national brand and cost cuttings and economy of scale both make cheaper brands successful. In smaller countries with less economy of scale, the price difference between mediocre and good is minimal so people often choose good which becomes the standard fare.

I don't think it's purely an age thing, as although there is more tradition in places like Japan or Europe due to hundreds of years of the current dominant culture, in Australia or similar co in ntires with a similar age to the USA, it's more quality based than cost based. Again economy of scale is not there and transport increases the cost, meaning the price for mediocre or good is often similar.