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