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. On the terroir side, agave plants are endemic to Mexico. The popularity of the distilled spirit has prompted agave to be introduced and cultivated in similar bioregions like California, Australia, South Africa, Peru, Venezuela, India. However, denomination of Origin protects the word “mezcal” and the territory (only 10 states within Mexico are allowed to produce genuine mezcal) — similar to how wine and champagne are protected. Terroir is king. Investing in one of The Lost Explorer’s “luxury” mezcals, you are not just buying a bottle, but a piece of artwork, as well as supporting their choice of charities and efforts for sustainability. Like any business they still have profit targets and plans for expansion, which are challenging in this saturated market, without the addition of a high standard of sustainable practice. It remains to be seen if the expansion of the mezcal world can be tenable in general, but The Lost Explorer is in a strong position to pursue this dream, using its prestigious platform to lead the way as “the most sustainable brand in the world.” Complete list of The Lost Explorer projects and initiatives The Lost Laboratory is currently germinating seeds of genetically diverse agave on distillery land and experimenting with replanting initiatives to help expand and scale their replanting program. Agave waste is also a big focus area within the production of mezcal. In addition to repurposing agave waste into fertilizer for the land, an initiative from last year was using agave waste to make copitas. This endeavor was overseen by Maestro Fortino’s daughter, mezcalera in the making, Xitlali Ramos. It’s important that our distributors, customers and consumers around the world understand the rationale behind our premium price positioning and the value associated with the hand-crafted, small batch production and sustainability credentials of our brand. Each varietal of mezcal comes in a bespoke bottle, made in Mexico from over 55% recycled crystal scraps, is hand-labeled and sealed with natural beeswax sourced from Guadalajara in Mexico,” she detailed.

We’re aiming the brand at people who want to drink better. You can go out and have a drink or you can have an experience. The mezcal category is still quite fragmented and there aren’t any big players yet, so I hope The Lost Explorer becomes a new firm favourite. My wife is my harshest critic and it has passed the taste test with her. Proof Drinks will be putting it out into high-end hotel bars and restaurants in the UK. Another key project actively supported by Lost Explorer is with Isla Urbana (via de Rothschild’s charity Voice for Nature Foundation). And while both mezcal and tequila are aged after distillation, mezcal is typically aged less than tequila. In tequila, aging is a main factor that producers can really play with for flavor. With mezcal, we also have the many agave species open for exploration. See below for an overview of how the production processes differ. 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.That fledgling ambition required a leadership team that could navigate the pandemic’s severe distribution detours and unexpected marketing hurdles. To understand production implications, it’s useful to grasp how mezcal is made. The process must include at least the following four steps: cooking, milling, fermentation, and distillation. 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. Those three principles connect concepts to cash flow, promote cross-functional collaboration and invigorate stakeholder relationships critical to lasting success. Top shelf

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. 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. Beyond consumer engagement and marketing initiatives, Escalapez offered three key, often understated, suggestions for CFOs and CIOs tasked with brand building. We’re also interested in making vintage mezcals, where we can pre-sell certain vintages and play with limited editions in a similar way to wine. 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.The idea of The Lost Explorer began with adventurer, David de Rothschild, of the de Rothschild banking family, as a broad and eclectic selection of “luxury/expensive” items that included mezcal. The products were inspired by treasures he had collected during his time exploring the world. He describes the underlying theme of this collection as “nature and curiosity,” words that are repeated throughout statements about the Lost Explorer mezcal since its launch in 2020. “We embrace curiosity as a fundamental human sense, letting it guide us in our quest to more deeply understand mezcal, the earth and each other.”