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.WINE EXPERT SAYS ONE COMMON HABIT COULD BE SABOTAGING EVERY SIPReigler, 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.Women may have a stronger sense of smell, which could make them better at tasting bourbon, according to a whiskey expert.(iStock)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.NEW 123.4-PROOF WHISKEY PROMPTS EXPERT WARNING THAT STRONGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTERMcLean 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.A scientific paper published in 2014 showed that women have a significantly larger number of neurons in olfactory regions than men.
(iStock)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 d...