True nicotine throat hit like in cigarettes is, in vaping, the result of nicotine + heat (wattage). PG can enhance throat hit but not cause it. VG can reduce throat hit. Some flavors can 'simulate' it but not actually cause it.
Those flavors that can tend to irritate the throat - pepper, cinnamon, some menthols and the "atomic" flavors can do it. Some say adding PGA can help with the simulated effect. I find the PEG 400 base as quite harsh, so if I were trying to simulate throat hit, for me, I may go with that instead of PG or VG bases.