ardent spirits vs liquor

ardent spirits and liquor both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
ardent spirits	Yes	No	No	No
liquor	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, liquor is a hypernym of ardent spirits; that is, liquor is a word with a broader meaning than ardent spirits:

Other hypernyms of ardent spirits include booze, hard drink, hard liquor, John Barleycorn, spirits, strong drink.

ardent spirits (noun)	liquor (noun)
strong distilled liquor or brandy	an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
	the liquid in which vegetables or meat have been cooked
	a liquid substance that is a solution (or emulsion or suspension) used or obtained in an industrial process