Bourbon has a reputation as a drink for guys with beards and strong opinions about barrel char. But the woman sitting next to them might have a better nose for it.Louisville whiskey writer Susan Reigler, a former president of Bourbon Women, told Fox News Digital that women generally have a stronger sense of smell than men, potentially giving them an advantage when tasting bourbon. A 2014 study published in PLOS ONE found that women’s olfactory bulbs, the brain regions involved in processing smells, contained roughly 43% more cells and 49% more neurons than men’s.The catch? Researchers examined brain tissue from just 18 deceased people, seven men and 11 women, ages 55 to 94. They couldn’t establish whether those extra cells translated into better smell sensitivity, either. A larger 2019 analysis found that women performed slightly better on average at detecting, identifying, and distinguishing smells, although the differences were small.The Biological Reason Women Might Be Better at Tasting WhiskeySmell is a huge component of how bourbon tastes. Sensory researcher Caitlin McLean of MMR Research Worldwide explained that tasting notes like vanilla, cinnamon, leather, and tobacco reach the nose from the back of the mouth. The process is called retronasal smell, and it’s also why food tastes so bland when you’re congested.Hormones could influence things, as well. McLean noted that estrogen affects smell sensitivity, especially during pregnancy and menopause. Of course, that doesn’t mean every woman can identify the contents of a whiskey barrel from across the room.Women have been involved in evaluating bourbon for decades, even when they weren’t the ones running distilleries. According to Reigler, Kentucky distilleries historically relied heavily on female tasting and quality-control panels. Marianne Eaves, who became Kentucky’s first female master distiller since Prohibition in 2015, has spoken about restrictions that once kept women out of certain distilling positions. Women were helping decide what belonged in the bottle way before they had the same opportunities to make it.Anyone can become a skilled bourbon taster with practice, Reigler said. The research just suggests that some women might have a slight advantage before they’ve even picked up a glass.The post Why Women Might Be Better at Tasting Bourbon Than Men, According to Research appeared first on VICE.