About Us
The people, the purpose, and the passion behind Catas Chicago
About Us
Catas Chicago
Catas Chicago is a collection of small batch mezcals and cultural collaborations rooted in a deep love for Oaxaca. Founded by enthusiasts who believe mezcal is as much a story as it is a spirit.
At Catas Chicago, we are in love with the culture of mezcal and Oaxaca. We explore where our enthusiasm takes us — through rare agave varieties, independent mezcaleros working the same land their grandparents did, and the artisans, painters, and paper-makers who give Oaxaca its irreplaceable creative pulse.
From product tastings at festivals and restaurants throughout the Americas to direct collaborations with producers in the Sierra Sur and Sierra Norte, we bring you the best — not because it is easy to find, but because it is worth finding. We believe in touching culture lightly, representing it honestly, and sharing it with care.
The name “Catas” comes from the Spanish word for tastings — a cata is a formal evaluation, an act of attention. It is the opposite of drinking without thinking. Every bottle we offer has been through a cata. Every producer we work with has been visited, listened to, and understood. This is not a catalog. It is a conversation.
“The land does not produce the agave. The agave produces the land.”
— Oaxacan Mezcalero Proverb
The Founder
A Passion That Became a Purpose
James Garrison, Founder & Curator, Catas Chicago
It began with a single mezcal tasted in a small palenque outside Miahuatlán — the kind of experience that changes the way you understand flavor, place, and time.
For James Garrison, every trip to Oaxaca became a deeper study: of agave, mezcaleros, painters, weavers, and paper artisans whose creativity lives alongside the spirit.
Catas Chicago was built to bring those experiences back to Chicago — and, through our events and offerings, to anyone willing to slow down enough to taste carefully. We are not in the business of selling alcohol. We are in the business of sharing a world.
“Every bottle is an address. If you want to, you can go there.”