What's actually in your glass?
Every bottle at Sammy's Liquor carries a number on the label — 5%, 12%, 40% — and it tells you more about your pour than price or brand ever will. This is your plain-English guide to alcohol by volume, from craft lager to top-shelf bourbon.
Sammy's Liquor is Moore, Oklahoma's go-to liquor store for whiskey, wine, and craft beer — this guide is here so you can shop with confidence, whichever aisle you land in.
ABV vs. proof — the two numbers on every label
They measure the same thing, just on different scales, and once you know the trick, no shelf tag will confuse you again.
ABV (Alcohol By Volume) is the percentage of the bottle that is pure ethanol. A wine at 13% ABV is 13% alcohol by volume — the rest is water, sugars, and everything else that makes it taste like wine and not rubbing alcohol.
Proof is the older, American measure, and it's always exactly double the ABV. It dates back to a rough colonial-era test: gunpowder soaked in spirit had to still ignite for the spirit to be "proved" strong enough — and that threshold landed at 50% ABV, or 100 proof.
So when a bourbon bottle says 90 proof, that's shorthand — nothing more, nothing less — for 45% ABV.
Where every aisle in the store lands
A rough map of ABV across what we stock — use it to gauge what you're pouring before you decide how much.
One "standard drink" — three very different pours
Because ABV varies so much by category, the glass size is built to compensate. All three of these pours contain roughly the same amount of pure alcohol.
Each of these contains roughly 0.6 oz of pure alcohol. It's why a shot hits the same as a full beer — the smaller pour just packs a higher percentage. Pace pours by alcohol content, not glass size.
Know your ABV. Now come find your bottle.
Whichever end of the gauge you're shopping — session beer or barrel-proof bourbon — our shelves in Moore, OK have it, and DoorDash can bring it to you.
Moore, OK 73160
Moore, Oklahoma's neighborhood liquor store
Everything on this page is backed by an actual shelf you can walk up to, 816 SE 4th St, Moore OK — not a warehouse three states away.
Common ABV questions, answered
The questions we hear most often at the counter — worth knowing before you check out.
No — ABV measures strength, not craftsmanship. A well-made 5% lager and a well-made 50% bourbon are both "good"; they're just built for different moments. Quality comes from ingredients and process, not the percentage on the label.
Our special-release spirits shelf includes cask-strength whiskeys and bourbons that can run past 60% ABV (120+ proof). Ask our staff if you want something in that range — we can point you to the right bottle.
Yes, for any bottle sold in the United States. That 2x relationship is fixed by definition — it's the labeling standard, not a rule of thumb. Some countries use a different proof scale, but every bottle on our shelves follows the US standard.
It comes down to fermentation. Yeast dies off once alcohol concentration gets too high, which naturally caps beer and wine — but the exact cap shifts with sugar content, yeast strain, and style, which is why a barleywine can out-muscle a light lager by a wide margin.
Only if you also account for pour size — see the standard drink comparison above. A straight percentage-to-percentage comparison is misleading once glass size enters the picture.
Knowing your ABV is part of drinking responsibly
Understanding what's in your glass helps you make informed, moderate choices. Sammy's Liquor is committed to the responsible sale and enjoyment of alcohol.
21+ Only
We sell only to customers of legal drinking age. Valid ID is required for every purchase, in-store and for delivery.
Never Drink & Drive
Plan a safe ride home. If you've been drinking, use a designated driver or a rideshare — never operate a vehicle.
Need Support?
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, help is available through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.