There’s a theory in the bourbon world that women are better at tasting the spirit than men, and some experts say there’s scientific proof to back up the claim.
Smelling is an important step in the tasting process, and there is some evidence that suggests women have an advantage in that area.
“Women have a keener sense of smell and taste than men,” Louisville, Kentucky-based whiskey expert and author Susan Reigler told Fox News Digital.
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Reigler, who is also a former president of the Bourbon Women organization, cited a scientific paper published in 2014 that explored the differences in the olfactory bulbs of men and women.
The report showed that women have just under 50% more neurons than men in olfactory regions, a difference that could contribute to a stronger sense of smell.
“There are a number of different factors that come to play and certainly things that are outside of smell that affect men and women differently,” Caitlin McLean, the vice president of Qualitative Solutions at MMR Research Worldwide’s North American offices in New York, told Fox News Digital.
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McLean noted that there’s more to tasting bourbon than just what happens in the mouth and on the palate.
The processes of orthonasal and retronasal olfaction play big roles in the tasting experience.
Orthonasal olfaction occurs when aromas enter through the nostrils, such as smelling aromas, while retronasal olfaction occurs when those aromas “are coming up in sort of the back of your palate and hitting the nose from the inside,” McLean explained.
“When we think about what’s critical to bourbon, some of those distinctive notes, like vanilla and cinnamon and leather and tobacco, smoke, dark fruit, all of those are identified through retronasal olfaction,” she said.
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Retronasal olfaction is incredibly important when tasting bourbon because the flavors that arise at the end of the drinking process define the complexity, finish and overall enjoyment of the beverage, McLean said, adding that “the tongue and the palate can only taste so much.”
Hormones also come into play, too, McLean noted, especially estrogen, which is associated with a heightened sense of smell.
“So in moments of pregnancy or menopause, you do see strong differentiation in olfactory sensitivity,” McLean said.
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The belief that women are better bourbon tasters is partially rooted in the idea that women are biologically wired to have a stronger sense of smell and taste as a way to protect their children, a theory that is difficult to prove with data.
“There is some scientific evidence that women, on average, outperform men in olfactory tasks, but maternal instinct is a difficult one to prove scientifically,” McLean said.
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Whether or not they’re scientifically proven to be better at tasting the spirit, women have been known to hold their own on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, according to Reigler.
“Historically, the bourbon distillers in Kentucky, their tasting panels, their quality control panels, were always majority of women,” she said.
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Men can still be excellent tasters, too, Reigler noted. Ultimately, she said, for anyone to become a truly skilled taster, “it just takes practice.”
