Clayton J. Szczech

CLAYTON J. SZCZECH is a writer and sociologist who has been studying and teaching about Mexican alcoholic beverages since 2006. He has operated the groundbreaking educational tour company Experience Agave since 2008. He cofounded La Cata, the first brand-independent tasting room in Tequila, Jalisco, in 2016. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Sunset, The Guardian, AFAR, Wine Enthusiast, Virtuoso Life, on CNN en Español, and on Amazon’s Distilling Mexico. He holds numerous certifications related to tequila and mezcal, is a permanent legal resident of Mexico, and is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of Utah. His academic work focuses on the socioeconomic and environmental outcomes of Geographical Indication regimes, with an emphasis on Mexico. In 2023, he was selected as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. A Field Guide to Tequila is his first book.