The Lost Explorer Reposado Tequila

The tequila works beautifully sipped neat or over ice to appreciate its layered complexity, though it also shines in spirit-forward cocktails.

Nose: Cooked agave comes through first—earthy and vegetal with a hint of sweetness, like roasted pineapple. Vanilla and light caramel follow, courtesy of the bourbon barrel aging.

Palate: Smooth and velvety the texture is notably soft and rounded.

Finish: Long and lingering.

The Lost Explorer Tequila Reposado starts with El Magnifico (NOM 1258) distillery's award-winning Tequila Blanco and undergoes a distinctive triple-cask aging process, resting across French oak Sauternes wine casks from Château Rieussec, American oak Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from Jerez, and Kentucky bourbon barrels. Each cask type isstrategically selected to contribute specific aromatic, flavor, or textural elements rather than simply adding oak influence. As always, this spirit is made with 100% agave and never contains additives.

• The spirit uses three casks from three different countries—French oak from Bordeaux, American oak from Kentucky, and Spanish oak from Jerez—creating what amounts to a world tour of barrel influences in a single bottle. Each cask plays a specific role: the Sauternes adds velvety texture, the Pedro Ximénez contributes dried fruit sweetness, and the bourbon barrel provides that classic vanilla-oak backbone.
• The Château Rieussec Sauternes wine casks used in aging previously held one of Bordeaux's most prestigious dessert wines, made from grapes affected by "noble rot"—a beneficial fungus that concentrates sugars and flavors. That same French oak now lends an unexpectedly soft, aromatic quality to the tequila, proving that great winemaking and great tequila-making aren't so different after all.
• The Lost Explorer won 2025's IWSC Agave Producer of the Year before releasing their first aged expression—meaning their Blanco was so exceptional it earned top honors while this Reposado was still resting in barrels. The Reposado builds on that award-winning base rather than masking it, letting the agave shine through layers of oak, vanilla, and dried fruit.