Our Story: A Contemporary Welsh Craft Gin
Toca Vida is an award-winning Welsh craft gin, created to celebrate flavour, culture, and the moments that bring people together. Crafted in small batches in Wales, our gin blends modern creativity with traditional distilling heritage, resulting in a contemporary spirit designed for gin cocktails, classic gin and tonics, and thoughtful gin gifts.
Taking its name from Spanish meaning “Touch Life,” Toca Vida reflects a philosophy of living fully, connecting deeply, and savouring the present, values that shape everything we create.
A Chance Encounter Over a G&T
Every great story starts somewhere. Ours began over a simple gin and tonic shared at dinner.
Two kindred spirits: an American woman and a Welshman connected over their shared love of craft gin and conversation. What started as a casual drink quickly became something more meaningful: a realisation that a shared glass has the power to spark stories, ideas, and human connection.
That moment planted the seed for Toca Vida Gin, not just a spirit, but a way to celebrate togetherness through flavour.
Where American & Welsh Cultures Collide
Toca Vida is the result of two cultures meeting with intention.
Sam, a former Welsh international rugby player and Dragons outside half, understood deeply how Welsh culture centres around community. Rugby, like gin, is about bringing people together; shared rituals, shared pride, shared moments. That sense of unity became a core inspiration behind the brand.
Elianna, originally from America, moved to Wales driven by a passion for travel, culture, and connection. Immersing herself in Welsh life, she came to appreciate how powerful it is when traditions are shared rather than preserved behind closed doors. Building bridges between cultures became central to her approach and ultimately, to Toca Vida.
Together, they set out to create a Welsh gin that honoured heritage while embracing modern expression: a gin that felt inclusive, contemporary, and globally minded.
Crafted in Wales, In Small Batches.
Our gin is distilled in the Welsh countryside at the historic Hensol Castle, using traditional methods refined with modern sensibility. Each batch is carefully produced to maintain consistency, quality, and character.
As a true small batch gin, Toca Vida reflects the care and attention that only hands-on distilling can provide. It’s this process that allows our gin to shine across a wide range of serves from a crisp gin & tonic to some of the best gin cocktails enjoyed around the world.
A Celebration of Connection
At its heart, Toca Vida Gin is about connection between cultures, between people, and between moments.
A shared drink becomes a conversation. A conversation becomes a memory. A memory becomes something lasting.
Whether discovered through a cocktail, a gift, or a quiet pour at home, every bottle is an invitation to slow down and savour life.
Touch it. Taste it. Live it — just like your favourite gin.
