*Soap Box Alert*
The words “acronym” and “abbreviation” often get used interchangeably these days, but they have different meanings. An abbreviation is a group of letters that represents something longer, like a phrase. An acronym is a word that’s created from an abbreviation, that you can say like a word.
NSA -> Abbreviation
NASA -> acronym
Grammar lesson over! On to…
Common whiskey abbreviations
(For the record, these all came from my own head; I didn’t copy this from the very useful list on sb.com)
1B = Single Barrel (more commonly SB)
4R = Four Roses (sometimes FR)
4RYL = Four Roses Yellow Label
AA = Ancient Age (also AAA, Ancient Ancient Age)
AB = Abraham Bowman
ABV = Alcohol By Volume (aka Proof / 2)
AE = Angel’s Envy
AECS = Angel’s Envy Cask Strength
AHH = A. H. Hirsch
AS = Age Stated
BF = Brown Forman
BHC = Bourbon Heritage Collection
BIB = Bonded In Bond
BMH = Black Maple Hill
BP = Barrel Proof
BT = Buffalo Trace
BTAC = Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
BTEC = Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection
CGF = Cheesy Gold Foil (Wild Turkey 12 yr)
CEHT = Colonel E.H. Taylor (also EHT)
CoK = Cream of Kentucky
CS = Cask Strength (same as BP)
DSP = Distilled Spirits Plant number
EC = Elijah Craig
ECBP = Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
EHT = E.H. Taylor (also CEHT)
ER = Eagle Rare
ET = Early Times
ETL = Elmer T. Lee
ETLC = Elmer T. Lee Commemorative bottle (2014)
EW = Evan Williams
F’Fort = Frankfort
FC = Fighting Cock
FR = Four Roses (also 4R)
GD = George Dickel
GF = Gold Foil (see also CGF)
GNS = Grain Neutral Spirits
GTS = George T. Stagg
H21 = Hirsch 21; H22 = Hirsch 22, etc.
Hazmat = Any whiskey over 140 proof (not allowed to go on a plane)
HH = Heaven Hill
HHSS = Heaven Hill Select Stock
HW = High West
JB = Jim Beam
JD = Jack Daniels
JPS = Jefferson’s Presidential Select
K&L = K&L Wine Merchants, store in San Francisco
KBD = Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (aka Willett)
L’Burg = Lawrenceburg, KY, where early Van Winkle and Eagle Rare were bottled.
LDI = Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana, former Seagrams Distillery (now MGPI)
LE = Limited Edition
L’Ville = Louisville
Lot B = Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 yr, Lot B
M10, M20 = Michter’s 10, 20 yr single barrel
MGPI = MGP of Indiana, former Seagrams Distillery (formerly LDI)
MM = Maker’s Mark
MWND = Mid Winter Night’s Dram (HW special edition)
NAS = Non Age Stated
ND = National Distillers
NDP = Non Distilling Producer, i.e. a rectifier like Jefferson’s, Dickel etc.
OC = Old Charter
OCPR = Old Charter Proprietor’s Reserve
OCT = Old Cousin Touchers
OESO, OESF, OESV, OESK, OBSO, OBSF, OBSV, OBSK = Four Roses bourbon recipes
OF = Old Fitzgerald (not Old Forester!)
OFBB = Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
OGD = Old Grand Dad
OO = Old Overholt
ORVW = Old Rip Van Winkle
OS = Old Scout
OT = Old Taylor
OWA = Old Weller Antique
OWO = Old Weller Original
Pf = Proof
PHC = Parker’s Heritage Collection
POH = Promise Of Hope, the 7th edition PHC
PVW = Pappy Van Winkle
RHF = Rock Hill Farms
Ritt = Rittenhouse Rye
RR = Russell’s Reserve
RRR = Russell’s Reserve Rye
RY = Rebel Yell
SA = Smooth Ambler
SAOS = Smooth Ambler Old Scout
Saz = Sazerac, usually Sazerac 18 from the BTAC
SB = Single Barrel
SFTB = Straight From The Barrel (Blanton’s)
SmB = Small Batch
SW = Stitzel Weller (also S-W)
THH = Thomas H. Handy
TPS = The Party Source, store in Bellevue KY that does many private barrels
V17 / V21 / V23 = Vintage 17 etc.
VOB = Very Old Barton
VOF / VXOF / VVOF = Very Old, Very Xtra Old, Very Very Old Fitzgerald
VOSN = Very Olde St Nick
VSOF = Very Special Old Fitzgerald
VWFRR = Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye
W12 = Weller 12 yr
W19 = Weller 19, from the early BTAC
WFE = Willett Family Estate
WLW = William Larue Weller, usually the whiskey from the BTAC
WR = Woodford Reserve
WSR = Weller Special Reserve
WT = Wild Turkey
WTAS = Wild Turkey American Spirit
WTKS = Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
WTR = Wild Turkey Rye
WTRB = Wild Turkey Rare Breed
YO = Years old, as in 12YO