Origin:
Bakersfield, California

Languages spoken:
English, Spanish + beginning Nahuatl

Agave spirit of choice:
High proof Blancos

Clayton Szczech

Founder + Tour Leader

Equal parts scholar, evangelist, and nerd, Clayton is a sociologist, a full-time agave spirits culture specialist, and the author of A Field Guide to Tequila. He believes that agave spirits should be sipped and savored, and that true appreciation grows from respectfully exploring their history, culture, and regions of origin. In 2008, this perspective led him to create a new category of educational agave spirits tourism in Mexico. He set the benchmark for professionalism in his industry and continues to expand his access, connections, and influence across all facets of the agave spirits world.

Clayton’s interest in Mexico started in high school. Growing up in Bakersfield, California, he pushed against social norms and embraced the marginalized. As a teenage punk rocker and wannabe cholo he became obsessed with learning Spanish, which sparked his interest in all things Mexico. At age 17—accompanied by a machete and a friend—he crossed the border on foot. He fell in love with the country. After that first adventure, he kept returning until he eventually relocated permanently.

When Clayton first moved to Mexico, he was determined to become truly bilingual. While achieving this goal, he stumbled on his life’s work. It started with a seemingly innocent incentive: he’d buy a different bottle of tequila when he achieved a study goal. Surprised by the diversity of quality and flavor profiles across the category, he became serious about tasting and understanding tequila. He read everything he could find about the spirit, in both English and Spanish, and realized that it wasn’t just a liquor, but a culture, a tradition, and an actual place. Of course, he had to go there. He traveled to the town of Tequila, and deepened his understanding by visiting the surrounding distilleries and forging connections with distillers. 

The more he learned, the more he needed to know. He saw an enormous gap between the complexity of what he was coming to understand and public perception of the liquor. He felt compelled to create an experience to share the Tequila region and its traditional spirit with the world. Founding an educational tequila tour company allowed him to synthesize his love for learning and teaching, his talent for storytelling, and an appreciation for comfort and hospitality honed through years of travel. By this time, he was also exploring the world of mezcal, and soon expanded to offer mezcal tours in Oaxaca. Even as he built his business, he continued to learn. He was certified as an Experto en Tequila and became the only non-Mexican national to earn the Tequila Regulatory Council’s prestigious “Double-T” certification.

Before Experience Agave, tequila tourism tended to be brand-specific. This was also true of the town’s tasting rooms, which were operated by tequila companies to showcase their products. In 2018, Clayton expanded the immersive, educational model of his tequila tours to open the first brand-independent tasting room in Tequila. La Cata offered one of the most comprehensive tequila selections in the world. 

By 2020, Clayton was traveling the world, judging spirits competitions, consulting, speaking at agave spirits festivals, continuing to host custom experiences for Experience Agave guests, and beginning to condense a decade of learning into his first book. A Field Guide to Tequila was published in 2023 by Artisan Press. By this time, Clayton was pursuing a PhD in sociology; his dissertation is on the sociology of raicilla, Jalisco’s little-known regional mezcal. These days, he lives in Puerto Vallarta, where he hosts tastings and events, continues to learn, and writes about agave spirits.