John Barleycorn vs strong drink

John Barleycorn and strong drink both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
John Barleycorn	Yes	No	No	No
strong drink	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, John Barleycorn and strong drink are synonyms defined as:

John Barleycorn and strong drink: an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

Other synonyms of John Barleycorn include booze, hard drink, hard liquor, liquor, spirits.

John Barleycorn (noun)	strong drink (noun)
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented	an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented