hard liquor vs John Barleycorn

hard liquor and John Barleycorn both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hard liquor	Yes	No	No	No
John Barleycorn	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, hard liquor and John Barleycorn are synonyms defined as:

hard liquor and John Barleycorn: an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

Other synonyms of hard liquor include booze, hard drink, liquor, spirits, strong drink.

hard liquor (noun)	John Barleycorn (noun)
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented	an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented