What Next for the Mezcal Norm? by Clayton J. Szczech, December 8, 2014 This is an addendum to a three article series on proposed changes to the Mezcal Norm. Please read the third, second and first parts for background. The first Encuentro Nacional de Mezcal took place in Morelia, Michoacán on the last weekend of November. Dr. Hipócrates Nolasco, President of the…
Solidarity with the Future of Mezcal Experience Mezcal is working with Sanzekan Mezcal to support their program of mezcal “Solidarity Bonds.” Sanzekan Tinemi (“Onward Together,” in the Nahuatl language) is a 24-year old cooperative of indigenous people from Guerrero state’s central foothills region around Chilapa de Álvarez. They are dedicated to their people’s economic and social development…
“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…
Mezcaleros Unify Around Improved Norm by Clayton J. Szczech, June 26, 2014 This is the third article in a series on COMERCAM’s proposed changes to the Mezcal Norm. Please read the first and second parts for background. An elderly indigenous man with sun-wizened skin and a big cowboy hat stands next to a dapper urban lawyer in…
“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,…
Battle Lines Drawn Over Mezcal Rule Changes by Clayton J. Szczech, June 18, 2014 This is the second article in a series on COMERCAM’s proposed changes to the Mezcal Norm. Read the first part here. While the leadership of COMERCAM seeks to build consensus around a modified version of their proposed changes to the Mezcal Norm,…
COMERCAM Proposal Would Recognize, Define Artisanal Mezcal by Clayton J. Szczech, June 1, 2014 For years, artisanal mezcal producers and their advocates have critiqued the mezcal Norm as biased in favor of large, industrial producers, and out of touch with mezcal culture, tradition and the reality lived by small mezcaleros. Specifically, it seemed to many…
Mexico Bans Additives in Blanco Tequilas The current, revised “Norm” on Tequila (NORMA Oficial Mexicana NOM-006-SCFI-2012, Bebidas alcohólicas – Tequila – Especificaciones), was published in December 2012 and went into effect in February of 2013. In early 2013, I had extensive and detailed conversations with the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) and several Tequila producers, which led…
“Tequila expert Clayton Szczech has wanted to attend Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans’ drinks event, but he often finds himself in Mexico during the summer. He missed the event this year because he was touring distilleries in Guerrero and Chihuahua. But Szczech finally reaches the Crescent City this week to host a tequila tasting…
““The blue-agave plant, on average, takes seven years to grow in maturity, seven years of rain and sun. So you get a lot of chemical complexity and aromatics,” said agave expert Clayton Szczech in a phone interview from the city of Tequila, Mexico.” Click here to read the original article in its entirety. More Experience…
“Last week, Szczech, founder of Experience Tequila, shared what he knows and drinks with about two dozen people gathered at Red Mesa Cantina. Szczech, who spends half the year in Mexico, is a self-described advocate, educator and interpreter of the liquor made from the blue agave plant.” Click here to read the original article in…