hard liquor vs spirits

hard liquor and spirits both are nouns.

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

As nouns, hard liquor and spirits are synonyms defined as:

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

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

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