The Lost Explorer Mezcal

2020
Identity, Packaging, Collaterals,
Website, Art Direction
Mexico, UK

The Lost Explorer is an artisanal handcrafted mezcal made from 100% agave, cultivated in the sun-soaked Valles Centrales, Oaxaca, Mexico, that celebrates the Earth and the diversity and wonder of the sacred agave plant.

It all began as a curiosity of time and the earth. This curiosity led David de Rothschild and Thor Björgólfsson, founders of the brand, to produce a small batch mezcal, as a tribute to empowering sustainable Mexican enterprise whilst also protecting the craft, heritage and biodiversity of Mexico. Made in tune within the rhythm of Nature, each small batch is distilled by Maestro Mezcalero Fortino Ramos, with a sustainable approach that honors our artisanal mezcal methods. The Lost Explorer Mezcal range consists of three uniquely profiled varietals – Espadín is the core expression, sitting alongside two rarer wild varietals, Tobalá and Salmiana. Time slows, heart warms. Each sip transports you to a world of senses beyond.

The rich fauna and mystic aura of Oaxaca were the main inspiration for the brand, so we revisited traditional alebrijes of this Mexican region, and elevated them with a contemporary take inspired by Guadalupe Posada’s etchings, for a global audience. We invited Daniel Barba to create the set of illustrations featured in the labels and collaterals. Each mezcal expression is represented by a unique alebrije that creates a sense of curiosity: wild pig, jaguar, and cockerel. The agave age in years communicates the time the agave has grown in Nature. The brand’s symbol represents the 4 main elements of its origin: sun, mountains, water, leaves.

As a homage to the brand name, the label artwork makes echo of vintage explorer guides, typographic legacy from lost maps, cabinets of wonders, collections of curious objects, and forgotten apothecary labels.

Curiously Oaxaca, its people and Nature, myths and mysteries, rituals and food— all woven together in beautiful alchemy.

The Lost Explorer Mezcal. Sip Curiously.

Art Direction, Branding, Storytelling, Packaging, Collateral, Website design.
Illustration: Daniel Barba
Photography: Frica, Lily Wan