Why some people really don’t like the taste of alcohol

With social interaction tied closely in with drinking alcohol, it often comes as a surprise when someone says they don’t drink because they don’t like the taste. Skeptics will even call these individuals out, accusing them of not drinking for another reason, because it seems incomprehensible someone just doesn’t like the taste of alcohol.

The truth is, however, that how alcohol tastes is all in your genetics, and while the flavor may be pleasing to some–even most–there are people who experience alcohol on a different level. These individuals find the “zing” of ethanol to be bitter and often repugnant, and researchers suggest the 25 genes responsible for taste receptors on the tongue can vary from individual to individual in regards to sensitivity.

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“The two genes, that had been previously associated with [alcohol] intake, also associated with differences in the perception of ethanol,” study author Dr. John E. Hayes, of the Sensory Evaluation Center, told Live Science. “The reason this work is significant is because it fills in this gap, because no one had shown in the lab that the alcohol actually tastes differently depending on which [version of the gene] you have.”

Looking at two genes responsible for flavor perception, TAS2R13 and TAS2R38, researchers evaluated a group of individuals taste testing beverages containing 16 percent alcohol as well as a cotton swab soaked with 50 percent alcohol solution was applied on the back of their tongue.

The results suggest 5 percent of people have genetic variances making them extra sensitive to alcohol’s flavor; 25 percent are completely insensitive; and 50 percent are moderately sensitive–making this group the most likely to enjoy alcohol.

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Not surprisingly, individuals who are sensitive to the flavor of alcohol are the least likely to develop an alcohol addiction; however, once addiction has set it, it tends to override perceptions of taste.

“It seems unlikely the taste of alcohol matters at all once someone is alcohol-dependent,” Hayes said, although he noted this was speculation on his part. “Still, taste genetics may be an important risk factor before someone becomes dependent.”

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Hayes and his team plan on taking their investigations into alcohol perception further, noting that some people who dislike the taste of alcohol may drink anyway to fit in with certain social drinkers. The next question to answer will be if these individuals are just as at-risk for dependency as are people who enjoy the way alcohol tastes.

Alcohol dependency currently affects more than 2.5 million people, according to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, and that’s just the number of individuals who are admitted into treatment facilities. Alcohol dependency is a global issue, and understanding why people become dependent could help save millions of lives.