If you have hopped into any Bourbon Facebook group or Reddit thread, you might have thought you were reading another language. I felt the same way. There is a series of codes, acronyms, and abbreviations that have been developed to use in these groups to speed up the posting process. If you don’t know what they are, it will look like gibberish. Once you start to figure it out, you can quickly scan posts and understand what is being talked about.

Here is a list of the common abbreviations and shorthand below. It’s not complete by any means, but it’s a good starting place for anyone just getting started in the bourbon communities online.

Bourbon Acronyms and Abbreviations

1B = Single Barrel

4R = Four Roses (sometimes FR)

4RYL = Four Roses Yellow Label

AA = Ancient Age (also AAA, Ancient Ancient Age)

ABV = Alcohol By Volume

AE = Angel’s Envy

AECS = Angel’s Envy Cask Strength

AS = Age Stated

🦌 = Bucks – This is a way to get around Facebook policies and post prices

BF = Brown Forman

BIB = Bottled In Bond

Bones = This is a substitute for dollars – Another way to skirt Facebook rules.

BMH = Black Maple Hill

BP = Barrel Proof

BT = Buffalo Trace

BUMP= This is a Facebook hack where you can put your post back at the top of the group. You put this in the comments and it will “bump” the post back to the top.

CEHT = Colonel E.H. Taylor (also EHT)

CONUS = Shipping included in price inside continental US 

CS = Cask Strength

EC = Elijah Craig

ECBP = Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

EHT = E.H. Taylor

ER = Eagle Rare

ET = Early Times

ETL = Elmer T. Lee

EW = Evan Williams

F’Fort = Frankfort

FR = Four Roses

GD = George Dickel

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

HW = High West

JB = Jim Beam

JD = Jack Daniels

KBD = Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (aka Willett)

KO= Kentucky Owl

KOR= Kentucky Owl Rye

L’Burg = Lawrenceburg, KY

LB= Little Book

LDI = Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana, former Seagrams Distillery

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

MGP = MGP of Indiana, former Seagrams Distillery

MM = Maker’s Mark

MWND = Mid Winter Night’s Dram

NAS = Non Age Stated

NCF= Non Chill Filltered

NDP = Non Distilling Producer, i.e. a rectifier like Jefferson’s, Dickel etc.

OC = Old Charter

OESO, OESF, OESV, OESK, OBSO, OBSF, OBSV, OBSK = Four Roses bourbon recipes

OF = Old Fitzgerald

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

PVW = Pappy Van Winkle

RHF = Rock Hill Farms

Ritt = Rittenhouse Rye

RR = Russell’s Reserve

RRR = Russell’s Reserve Rye

RTR = Right To Refuse

RY = Rebel Yell

SA = Smooth Ambler

SAOS = Smooth Ambler Old Scout

Saz = Sazerac

SB = Small Batch

SiB = Single Barrel

SBS = Small Batch Select

SiBS = Single Barrel Select

SFTB = Straight From The Barrel

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

WFE = Willett Family Estate

WJ = Widow Jane

WR = Woodford Reserve

WSR = Weller Special Reserve

WT = Wild Turkey

WTR = Wild Turkey Rye

WTRB = Wild Turkey Rare Breed

YO = Years old, as in 12YO