The Lost Explorer Mezcal

THE LOST EXPLORER MEZCAL is a collaboration with Proyecto Humo and master mezcalero, Don Fortino Ramos Florean. It was grown, harvested and distilled on the edge of San Pablo Huixtepec, Oaxaca in the Zimatlán District—situated some fifteen hundred meters above sea level in the Central Valley. San Pablo Huixtepec is roughly equidistant from Oaxaca City and Sola de Vega on the road to the Pacific. Fortino is a self-taught first-generation distiller and has produced mezcal for well over two decades; his spirits are unlike any other. FOR THIS SMALL BATCH Fortino cultivated Espadín and wild Tobalá, each of which were harvested individually after achieving optimal ripeness. Production is traditional: the agave is cooked in earthen ovens, Tahona-ground, fermented in open-top wood barrels, with ambient native yeasts, and double-distilled in a copper alembic still. The resulting distillate is exceptionally pure; both floral and herbaceous with caramelized notes and elegant smoke nuances.