Pull The Pin is a premium spirit brand founded by Tom Foster, a former Army Commando, whose transition from military service to distillation is both unique and inspiring. The brand’s ethos is deeply rooted in celebrating life and commitment to quality.
Tom’s Army journey took him to Albania, Brunei, Norway, and beyond. Unfortunately, serious injuries meant that he had to leave his military career behind – this wasn’t easy as it was all he had known throughout his adult life and a major part of his identity.
Given his physical limitations, a ‘job’ wasn’t going to offer the flexibility Tom needed. He also wanted some excitement. So, the self-employment route made sense. But why spirits?
The inspiration came from his time in Albania where Tom noticed the locals making a crude form of Raki using the heating elements from kettles. During downtime on operations, he decided to give it a go himself – and a passion for distillation was born.
Early experiments in spiced rum taught Tom the importance of balance, especially after overusing cloves led to mouth-numbing effects! A Caribbean sailing trip allowed him to sample diverse rums, refining his vision for the perfect spiced rum. While training Saudi forces, Tom attended a royal banquet where a dessert infused with cardamom and nutmeg captivated him, inspiring his quest for harmonious spice blends.
Tom happily admits to being fascinated by the ‘mad scientist’ element of the business, and it isn’t a surprise, given his roots:
“Playing with the flavours and the spices is the bit I love the most, and learning the intricacies of distillation. My mum and dad were both chefs and in cooking you learn how to develop flavours and mix certain elements to get the right outcome. If you’re getting it right, it’s amazing, but you can also get it very wrong!”
Tom discovered X-Forces Enterprise during a rehabilitation course at Headley Court and as the British Business Bank’s Specialist Business Support Partner for the Armed Forces community, we were delighted to provide him with a Start Up Loan of £25,000. Tom used the funding to get Pull The Pin off the ground and establish a production facility.
The plan was to open up tasting sessions and cocktail events onsite but market research told him that, post-Covid, people’s socialising habits had changed. Like many resourceful ex-military folk, Tom decided to pivot and make the most of his connections:
“We decided to do Mess Nights and corporate events where we offer a package: we make fresh fruit cocktails, we do a talk, we take our rums and gins. We also go to people’s homes and offices which works really well because it’s in their environment, we go to them.”
As he looks to the future, Tom hopes to expand and take his concoctions on the road. So, if you’re looking for a fascinating evening with high-end, premium drinks, why not celebrate life’s journey with Pull The Pin?
Learn more at https://x-forces.com/pull-the-pin-celebrating-lifes-journey
