Stationed off the coast of Albania and the ‘creativity of boredom’ kicks in on ship. A makeshift still is brought to life from a household kettle and some bits and bobs in the stores. It may all have ended in vapour-induced headaches and some terrible tasting raki (aniseed  spirit) but a fascination with distillation takes hold of Tom.

When you travel from Norwegian ski exercises in minus 20 to the 45 degree heat of tropical north Australia, a refreshing brew is absolutely essential! Tom’s love of (obsession with?) all things ginger led him to an explosively messy experiment with ginger beer and a deep understanding of how working with yeast brings out incredible flavours in alcohol.

Tom’s first experiments in spiced rum for the troops may have tasted lovely and smelled incredible, but too many cloves in the mix made them weirdly mouth-numbing. Lessons learned? A bottle of clove oil in the desert is a life-saver when there’s miles of sand between you and the nearest dentist. When you're infusing flavour, balance is all…

In some much-needed downtime, Tom took a luxurious trip through Caribbean waters, sampling local drinks as he sailed from place to place. Discovering the unique personalities of each island's rum as he travelled, he learned to recognise quality spirits that could help him achieve his vision of the perfect spiced rum.

After time spent training Saudi forces, a princely thank-you banquet served up a feast of luxury and flavour. But it was the subtle blending of cardamom and nutmeg in a simple rice pudding desert, rather than any of the royal finery, that captivated Tom and set him on his quest for a seamless marriage of alcohol and spice.

During long-range patrols in the Jordanian desert, Tom was awed by local hospitality and the most incredible cinnamon tea he’d ever drunk – a multi-layered explosion of flavour and warmth. He discovered the most important ingredients of all: care, attention to detail and a desire that each drink you create will be the best you’ve ever made.