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I thought it was beginner's luck - but I'm a whisky supertaster

15 hours ago
By Angie Brown,
BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter

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BBC Megan BrownBBC
Megan Brown started to notice she could pick up more flavours in whisky than men
When Megan Brown first started going to whisky tastings, she noticed she was
picking up a lot more flavours and notes than her more experienced male
counterparts.

The 29-year-old initially thought it must have been beginner's luck - but it kept
happening.

Little did she know that she may have a biological advantage.

Research over the last few decades has suggested that women have more taste buds
and are more likely than men to be "supertasters".

Megan, who is now a director of independent bottler and whisky blending company
Woodrow's of Edinburgh, said she was at a whisky tasting three years ago when she
first noticed she was tasting more than her male colleagues.

'I doubted myself at first'

"I was sitting at a table full of men and I noticed that even though they were
longer into their whisky journey and were therefore what I considered to be more
knowledgeable than me," she said.

"I was able to pick out things that they couldn't and I was able to come out with
very specific notes that they weren't coming up with.

"I doubted myself at first that I was maybe not picking up these things because I
was not, at that point, knowledgeable about whisky.

"But then over time I thought no, I am picking up these things. Sometimes now if I
say a note they will suddenly start agreeing with me."

The former neuroscientist added: "I think I heard about this in my scientist days
but it didn't cross my mind that that was what was happening to me.

"It now makes a lot of sense."

Frances Jack Dr Frances JackFrances Jack

Dr Frances Jack said a blue dye is used to count the amount of taste buds on a
tongue
Dr Frances Jack is the senior sensory scientist who leads flavour research at the
Scotch Whisky Research Institute.

She told BBC Scotland: "Research has found generally women have more taste buds
than men.

"The overall perception of a whisky is actually smell. Women have more smelling
receptors."

Dr Jack said women evolved to be "supertasters" so they could check the safety of
food for their offspring.

Rachel Dixon, owner of independent bottler Fragrant Drops in Edinburgh, said she
had always thought she had a good palate and could smell really well.

Rachel Dixon Rachel DixonRachel Dixon

Rachel Dixon said she always thought she had a good palate and sense of smell
"Sadly when I go to whisky tastings the majority of attendees are men," she said.

"When I'm with my friends, who are female, whisky tasting they generally come up
with a lot more interesting notes than the men.

"I hope it does lead to more women wanting to get into the production of whisky and
the blending of whisky - because who doesn't want a better tasting whisky?"

Woody Tan is also a director at Woodrow's of Edinburgh, alongside Megan Brown.

He said: "We do a lot of tastings together and Megan seems to be better at

identifying different aromas and flavours than me.

"Even though there are a lot more male whisky drinkers than female whisky drinkers
it seems like women are better at picking up flavours.

"The industry would definitely benefit from having more females on board in terms
of whisky production, such as blenders or distillers."

Woody Tan and Megan Brown

Woody Tan said Megan Brown was better at identifying different aromas and flavours
Megan said: "Whisky has traditionally been a man's world and sometimes women aren't
taken so seriously.

"The number of times I've been asked 'Do you even drink whisky' or 'Do you even
like whisky?'.

"The funny thing is we can actually taste it more than they can and can enjoy it on
a level they can't. I think it's a shame most men don't know this."

Julie Roberts, brand innovation manager at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said the
research was a good way to challenge perceptions that whisky was an old man's club.

She said the differences between men and women opened up "a really interesting
conversation".

"It is really enlightening if you are sitting beside a man at a whisky tasting and
you get something totally different from the man beside you.

"That is where the real magic is with whisky because it is really all about
flavour."

Edinburgh
Scotch whisky
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