First Impressions
'Amuerte' — Spanish for 'to death' — is a Belgian gin built around one of the world's most controversial botanicals: the coca leaf. Before alarm bells sound: these are fully decocainised Peruvian coca leaves, legally imported and stripped of all alkaloids through the same process Coca-Cola has used for over a century. What remains is a distinctive herbal, slightly bitter botanical that adds a genuinely unique dimension to gin. Produced by Barchitekt BV in Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, and presented in a skull-adorned bottle finished with real 24-carat gold leaf.
Tasting
The classic gin botanicals are distilled first, then enhanced with Peruvian coca leaves, tamarillo, papaya, Peruvian physalis, and orange peel — a South American botanical bill that reads unlike any other gin. On the nose, fresh citrus of lime and orange with spicy coriander and pepper, the coca leaf contributing a distinctive green herbal note. The palate is crisp and complex: coca leaf provides a flavour spectrum from bitter to sweet, balanced by exotic tamarillo and physalis fruit, cardamom warmth, and juniper authority. The finish is medium-long — lingering fruit, pepper, and that herbal coca bitterness providing a dry, sophisticated close. Rated 8.3 on Ginferno from 88 ratings.
The Bottom Line
Amuerte Black Edition earns a 7 — a genuinely well-made gin that transcends its provocative branding. The coca leaf is not a gimmick; it contributes real flavour, a herbal bitterness that sits between gentian and green tea. The South American fruit botanicals — tamarillo, physalis, papaya — provide an exotic sweetness that counterbalances beautifully. At £58, you are paying a premium for the gold leaf and the theatre, but the liquid justifies serious attention. Best in a G&T with Fever-Tree Indian Tonic and orange zest, or neat where the coca leaf's full complexity reveals itself. A conversation-starting bottle that earns its place through what is inside, not just what is on it.
