The Lost Explorer Mezcal Co. wins IWSC 2025 Agave Producer Trophy

Tradition, regeneration, and a dash of audacity - here’s why The Lost Explorer Mezcal Co. is the IWSC’s 2025 Agave Producer of the Year. 

In the volcanic soils of Oaxaca and the highland terroir of Jalisco, Maestro Mezcalero Fortino Ramos works from a palenque (mezcal distillery) powered entirely by the sun. Since its launch in 2020, The Lost Explorer has pushed mezcal and tequila into new territory: regenerative agriculture, equitable supply chains and a deep respect for biodiversity.

These are the daily rituals of The Lost Explorer Mezcal Co., winner of the IWSC's 2025 Agave Producer Trophy. At the distillery, wood-hungry ovens give way to natural-gas steam, vinaza (liquid by-product of distillation) transforms into fertiliser, and bagazo (fibrous agave pulp) mixes with kitchen scraps to create plant nutrition. Meanwhile, their approach to agave stewardship balances commercial necessity with ecological responsibility - allowing portions of agave to flower despite the cost, sustaining pollinators whilst planting rescued and endangered species to preserve genetic diversity. 

Innovation travels alongside tradition. The Lost Explorer Tequila, released in late 2024, already appears in more than 1,200 outlets worldwide, from ABC stores in the US to Selfridges in London. Their Espadín, Tobalá and Salmiana mezcals continue earning international medals, whilst their digital storytelling – including one of the world's most-followed mezcal Instagram accounts - connects new audiences with the culture behind the bottle. 

The Lost Explorer shows how agave spirits can be both artisanal and forward-looking: rooted in Oaxaca and Jalisco, yet global in influence. We'll drink to that. 

Congratulations to The Lost Explorer Mezcal Co.