Are you a Supertaster?
What’s a Supertaster?
People who are supertasters were originally thought to be just really sensitive to bitter tastes. Now, we know that it also includes people who are sensitive to sweet and spicy flavors, and they might even have a stronger sense of smell. Together this makes supertasters people with the ability to detect subtle differences in ingredients.
Which is likely why you’re more likely to see supertasters among wine and spirits experts along with chefs and foodies. Interestingly, when it comes to alcohol the initial bitterness of alcohol may discourage some people from drinking it, while others may overcome their dislike and grow to enjoy alcoholic beverages as they begin to perceive other flavors more distinctly. And while there is a great deal of training that goes into being able to pull apart the flavors and smells of your favorite tipple, supertasters may lean towards these
professions because of their inherent understanding and appreciation of nuanced flavors and smells. It also means that if you aren’t able to pick up the notes of croissants and apricots in New Dawn’s 6-year old bourbon it may just mean you’re not a supertaster or that you need to exercise and train your tastebuds more.
Fun Fact for Women’s History Month
Women have been shown to have super sensitive taste buds and are more likely to be supertasters. This gender disparity is likely linked to hormonal differences which play a big role in sensitivity to smells. This does give women an edge when it comes to learning new odors and flavors making them highly predisposed towards learning and remembering when tasting wine and spirits.
So am I a supertaster? A familial history of Refined Palates.
Right now, science says the best way to know if you're a supertaster is to check for a specific gene, TAS2R38. But, since smells are a big part of taste and there are over 400 genes linked to smell, the answer might not be so simple. I for one haven’t the dollars to spend getting myself genetically tested, so I’m left with lived experience and searching my family tree for the answer.
I know that I come from a long line of women who could throw down in the kitchen but I can also proudly look to my maternal grandfather who was a chef at a Texas country club. While my grandmother did most of the cooking at home, he did treat the family to his skills during the holidays. He was well known for delicate cakes and pies as well as succulent hams, crisp and juicy turkeys, and all the fixins. I would very much like to think that my genes carry on his penchant for flavor and skills in the kitchen. Before jumping into the spirits industry I developed my own cake, cookie, and pie recipes and continue to fend off the appellate “foodie” for much of my adult life. To be clear, I like good food, not necessarily fancy food. There is a difference between frozen fries and fresh cut potatoes fried in peanut oil, thank you very much, and what I am really after are clear and distinct flavors.
Truly though, I suppose I can thank my father who didn’t allow me to be a picky eater as a kid, the adage in our household was you try everything once and then again until you’re old enough to buy your own food and then probably many more times to be “polite.” while I may have I grown up preferring cheese on my broccoli, despising brussel sprouts until they genetically modified them through cross pollination to be less bitter, and thought I hated spicy foods when really I just hate spice with no flavor (a discovery made when I first had Thai and Indian) because I always had to try I definitely learned to like some things. Repeatedly eating broccoli and spicy foods allowed me to work past the bitter and hot notes to pull out the other flavors in the dish and I have found this works the same with spirits.
For the longest time I hated gin, but when aged in bourbon barrels and thus tempered with bourbon’s molasses and vanilla notes, those herbal notes were more delicate and subtle. Continued tastings got my palate used to the floral and herbal notes until I started to look for gins with “louder” flavors. The same could also be said of cask strength bourbons.
So am I supertaster? Only genetics can really tell but until then based on anecdotal evidence I’m gonna say, “Yes!” I did after all pick an award winning bourbon on my first go.
