“The best way to support the Mexican countryside from the U.S. is to actualize trade and immigration policies that are fair and would allow people to work with dignity and living wages on both sides of the border.”
“Oaxaca is mezcal country. Both industrial and artisan palenques dot the countryside and if you’ve developed a taste for this spirit then a day visiting some of these palenques with Experience Mezcal is a must. Accompanied by a passionate local guide you’ll discover the process of making mezcal from the roasting of the agave hearts,…
“Mezcal, tequila’s stronger and smokier relative, has become a staple spirit in trendy bars across Mexico and the United States in recent years, and the agave-based drink has inevitably attracted the interest of global alcohol giants. In the process local growers are worried a unique spirit is under threat… Mezcal has been made for centuries…
“Clayton Szczech – A widely respected ‘Tequila Geek’ and owner of Experience Tequila recommends Casachuín Blanco, Real Mexicana “Extra Dry” Extra-añejo, and 7 Leguas Single Barrel Extra-añejo.”
“Designed by owner Clayton Szczech as ‘group tours for people who don’t do group tours,’ Experience Tequila offers hands-on tours around Mexico’s eponymous region to acquaint guests with the spirit. Clients will learn about all the parts of the tequila production process, from agave cultivation and harvesting to distilling. Guests will also imbibe in the…
“We opt for a tour with Clayton Szczech, a self-styled tequila connoisseur. He guides us around the area, where we watch a jimador harvest the agave plant from which tequila is made.”
“Oaxaca is the second-poorest state in Mexico and its most indigenous, two braided facts that owe much to geography. When the Spanish plowed through in the 16th century, they found a rugged terrain dividing Oaxaca into isolated village-states. In some ways that’s still the case: Many communities have maintained their own dialects, their own traditions—and…
“In the dim lighting, as the spirit warmed us, it felt almost as if Szczech were holding service in tequila church.” A two-part L.A. Times Travel section cover story, on touring Tequila and Guadalajara and tasting Tequila. Here is a PDF of the original travel section as it ran in print. More Experience Tequila media coverage. …
“Clayton is absolutely obsessed and spends almost all his time in the field talking to mezcaleros, growers, and tons of other people connected to the industry. As he told me: “I made the decision that this was going to be my profession, and it really is. This is all I do.” Click here to read…
“Clayton had been leading private tasting trips on his own since 2008, but recently he teamed up with an established tour operator out of Los Cabos to help handle the million and one logistical challenges of running vanloads of day-tasters through a foreign country. His Spanish was crisp and flawless, almost lyrical, and his tight…
“So what does a rookie to the world of good tequila need to know before leaving behind the world of salt, lime, and slamming a shot, for the high-quality sip? After listening to tequila expert Clayton Szczech of Experience Tequila preview his Tequila 101 class…and drop some additional agave knowledge, here is a taste of…
“And their tour guides are not paid actors reading a script; rather, they are impassioned individuals who have dedicated their life’s work to tequila and its preservation. Led by Clayton Szczech, who is the only non-Mexican to earn the prestigious “Double T” certification for excellence in tequila tourism and education from the Tequila Regulatory Council,…