The Lost Explorer Mezcal Espadín, 70cl | Award Winning Artisanal Mezcal | 42%

Product Information

While Espadín is the most commonly sourced varietal for mezcal and thus is now less commonly wild-harvested, many of the other wild, rarer varietals—such as Tobalá and Salmiana—involve the time- and labor-intensive process of foraging from their hardscrabble habitats. The most interesting (and costly) bottle in the Lost Explorer lineup. Big minty notes. Some mint chip ice cream. Jonny’s review is spot on with Jolly Ranchers, I get the watermelon flavor. I can see people really getting into this one because it is not too smoky nor harsh. It is approachable and quite unique. Flavors aren’t very complex but they’re outside the average Oaxacan mezcal spectrum. Bit of water on the finish. The first time I tried Mezcal was by my hotel pool in Guadalajara, Mexico. Author Irving Welsh of ‘Trainspotting’ fame sauntered over with a bottle of the smoky agave-based spirit looking for a late-night drinking companion. I was happy to oblige. The evening ended in something of a blur but left me with a taste for this delicious spirit. Mezcal is about discovery—it’s not handed to you on a platter. It had this allure to me—the provenance of the plant, its relationship to the ground and the earth, the smokiness, the artisanal craft. As you start to dig, you realize there’s this incredible heritage and story. I feel like there’s something really magical when you’re making the agave and you’re digging that pit, creating that fire, sitting around and waiting for days—the patience inbuilt to the process allows you to really connect. It still fascinates me to the point where I have become somewhat obsessed by it, which is why we find ourselves producing our mezcal today.

Choosing these projects to support was a joint management decision for The Lost Explorer team, working closely with the Voice for Nature Foundation. The Lost Explorer’s commitments come from a place of contributing beyond their own business goals and supporting a more sustainable future for the environment and communities of Oaxaca. These specific initiatives were chosen because they would have impact in the immediate short-term, but also longer-term, in addition to supporting the UN Sustainability Goals of Climate Action, Gender Equality and Economic Growth. We could all be doing more. I tend to prefer to talk about sustainability and how, in our case, we want to be able to respect our planet and its communities while maintaining a certain level of mezcal making. I don’t think it’s just about being ‘green’. Our production is carried out in a manner that benefits the local mezcal-producing community in Oaxaca and also protects the land’s biodiversity. I found myself sitting in a hut with the tribesmen drinking chicha, a local concoction made from fermented corn, saliva and spices. It’s pretty punchy moonshine and I didn’t want to appear rude, so I drank a lot of it and was getting progressively merry. For The Lost Explorer Mezcal, Maestro Don Fortino Ramos plays close attention to the fermentation environment to ensure the light is just right (warm, soft, diffuse), the energy is good, vibes are flowing, and the music classical. Don Fortino also has determined the optimal bottling strength for The Lost Explorer Mezcal to sit right at 42% ABV. According to NOM legislation, mezcal must be between 36% and 55% alcohol by volume (ABV). A key skill of the Maestro Mezcalero is knowing when and where to make the cut. For The Lost Explorer, this specific bottling strength is very much a signature style that offers the perfect balance of raw ingredients and alcohol. It produces a smooth, well-balanced and elegant flavor, that allows the full complexity of the agave to shine through. Positioning the mezcal alongside other premium brands relies not only on exceptional liquid quality and sustainability credentials, but also on distributors’ confidence and belief in the brand proposition. “In addition to sales and marketing, effective revenue management is key to brand building. We monitor and analyze market penetration and competitive price positioning in the agave spirits category,” Esclapez emphasized.

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As the agave spirits trend continues to take hold, people are becoming more curious and inquisitive about mezcal, and that growing interest is benefitting the premium end of the market”, commented Tanya Clarke, CEO of The Lost Explorer Mezcal. Another key project actively supported by Lost Explorer is with Isla Urbana (via de Rothschild’s charity Voice for Nature Foundation).

Commitments in place at the moment include: Don Fortino being a shareholder in the company; rainwater conservation; the use of reclaimed wood; replanting at least three agaves for every agave we distil; creating fertiliser from agave waste; and using solar panels. We’ve also created ‘The Lost Laboratory’, which will play a leading role in the support of environmental improvements in the making of sustainable artisanal mezcal. Scaling requires credible long-term capacity planning. While many new spirits brands focus on the US market only, The Lost Explorer widened its launch to include Mexico and key strategic markets with strong on-trade and luxury brand networks — specifically the UK, Australia, Greece and Italy. Future expansion plans underway target South America, mainland Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The nuances in taste come from of course the different agave species themselves, but also the great sensitivities to the environment each plant has. The notion of “terroir” in wine also applies to mezcal, where the various agaves act as palettes for the earth they’re grown in. The many years the agaves take to mature means they experience many climate cycles and have a significant amount of time to soak up the characteristics of the region—the sun, aridity, altitude, soil composition, the neighboring plants sharing the soil.Beyond the smoke, the greatest contributor to the taste of a mezcal is the plant species it comes from. Each 30+ types of agave that can make mezcal each carry their own unique flavors, entrusted to the hands of the maestro mezcalero to discover how best to express them. One of the stages in production that specifically calls upon a mezcalero’s signature is the fermentation. Here, the mezcalero expertly determines the environment most optimal for the naturally occurring yeasts. Our challenge and opportunity is to show that you can build a sustainable business that respects the craft, the culture, the people, the planet and bring this all together to be shared collectively through our community, whether you are someone who’s supplying in any step of this intricate process, someone who’s helping us cultivate and actually make the mezcal, or somebody who is part of the wider community, sipping the beautiful narrative of mezcal. Our enthusiasm and intentionality to not only produce something that’s good for consuming but is also good for the planet flows throughout the whole company. The 200ml flask edition of the bottle features the same sustainable design elements as the larger 700ml bottles, which are made from more than 55% recycled crystal scraps, and hand-sealed with biodegradable natural beeswax from Mexico. The Lost Explorer Mezcal is a handcrafted spirit cultivated on ancestral Miztec land in the sun-soaked Valles Centrales, Oaxaca. Harvested in harmony with the elements and in tune with the rhythm of nature, this small-batch artisanal mezcal invites people to Live Curiously and Celebrate the Earth, exploring the wonder and diversity of the sacred agave. The Lost Explorer mezcal is produced by Maestro Fortino Ramos, in San Pablo Huixtepec, Oaxaca. A first generation mezcalero, he has been making agave spirits for the past forty years. Now his daughter Xitlali is alongside him, learning the craft and working closely with The Lost Explorer brand. Together they are pursuing specific goals to support local economic growth and gender equality, while combating climate change.

It’s important to clear up two of the most common misconceptions about Mezcal. Firstly, Tequila is a specific type of Mezcal (made with the blue agave plant) and not the other way around. Secondly, Mezcal is not related to the hallucinogenic drug mescaline which is derived from the cactus plant. The agave plant is a succulent just like the cactus but they are different species; full marks to the South Americans though for finding so many fun ways to get high from such unlikely looking vegetation! To have any chance of standing out in this market you have to pay homage to the craft. Consumers and bartenders have so much choice these days, so you need to capture their attention. The difference between mezcal and tequila? Clearly a lot of things. But really, we think the biggest marker comes down to patience, time and curiosity. We are inspired by the patience required in the process of mezcal-making and the play and curiosity that come with exploring the many species of agave you can experiment with. And while, generally, the time, labor, and expertise required to make mezcal results in it costing more than many tequilas, we happily embrace that there are no shortcuts. Aiming to improve gender equality The Lost Explorer Mezcal is partnering with the non-profit organization SiKanda and its Mujeres AVE program that provides ‘Make Your Business Grow’ seed capital funding for essential supplies & equipment to women-led businesses. Mujeres AVE is based in the Zaachila Oriente area, where the largest garbage dump in the state of Oaxaca is located. They provide tools and a safe space to promote the participation, empowerment, autonomy and agency of women, to improve the operation of their micro-businesses and increase their income and well-being.

Data automation transforms revenue management by building trust. Esclapez noted, “In general, our teams cannot focus on the value-added operations without reliable, transparent and timely reporting data. Our financial systems consolidates and profitability data across jurisdictions. That’s important from a regulatory perspective, but also drives are pricing strategy, product allocations and market share pursuits. Such insight is critical for effective revenue management and business growth.” We’ll work with what our audience wants, what barmen like, and what we can harvest sustainably. We’ll introduce limited edition blends down the line. Quality and attention to detail connect all three expressions. That fledgling ambition required a leadership team that could navigate the pandemic’s severe distribution detours and unexpected marketing hurdles.

Focusing on climate action, Lost Explorer is working with Isla Urbana, an NGO dedicated to contributing to water sustainability in Mexico through rainwater harvesting, specifically in highly marginalized communities where access to clean water is limited. The Lost Explorer partnership will begin with supporting an additional four rainwater harvesting systems within the Oaxacan communities of San Jose Tenango. Traditionally, consumers are introduced to alcohol brands through “on-trade” channels via such as restaurants, bars and clubs. With hospitality venues shuttered by the pandemic, brands had to move to “off-trade” and “direct to consumer” promotion.

Winner of 1 spirit awards

I’ve worked with big brands for 20 years in the sustainable space, advising companies like Levis on how to use less water in the production of their jeans. I wanted to develop my own sustainable product with sharing at its heart. There’s still a lot of disposability in the sustainable space, but I feel there’s a savouring and a depth to the mezcal experience. The goal was to make the best mezcal. In partnership with award-winning Maestro Mezcalero Don Fortino Ramos, The Lost Explorer Mezcal is committed to the sustainable production of high-quality handcrafted mezcal in a manner that benefits the local mezcal-producing community in Oaxaca and protects the land’s biodiversity, with the long-term mission of becoming the most sustainable mezcal brand in the world. PRODUCT RANGE