An award-winning bartender is hoping to take the world by storm with a unique cocktail created from a mix of his love of music and mixology.

Thomas Hay-Owens, new bar manager of The Venner Bar at The Bull Hotel, Bridport, has made the Top 10 in a unique cocktail competition called Tennessee Calling III, ran by one of the world’s most famous brands, Jack Daniel’s.

This year, Tennessee Calling has challenged  bartenders from the South, Midlands, Wales, London, the South East and the South Coast to create a cocktail that showcases their personal story as well as their knowledge of Jack Daniel’s.

Tom, one of more than 100 entries in the competition, impressed judges so much he finished in the top 10 per cent with his creation, The Nashville Sound.

Tom says the cocktail is a love letter to RCA studios, Nashville, which created and defined a genre of music that would influence artists forever.

He first learned about the genre of music listening to his grandfather on the radio, who happened to be a country radio DJ.

"Just like Jack Daniel’s, 'The Nashville Sound' genre of music defined a generation and still influences artists today, just as the method of making Tennessee Whiskey inspires bartenders", said Thomas.

"Both the genre of music and Jack Daniel’s took something that was rough around the edges, (Honky-tonk and original American whiskey respectively), and through their unique processes, production methods and originality, created something smoother and more universally appealing, which influenced the landscape of their respective fields for decades to come".

To showcase the cocktail in a unique way, Tom has written and performed a song named after his drink.

He was amazed to discover it had attracted more than 4,000 views on Facebook in less than 10 days. He’s since teamed up with producers Logan and Paul at Rough Bark Studios in Bridport to produce a studio version of the song that showcases the story of his cocktail and Jack Daniel’s.

Tom is up against stiff competition, with other entries coming in from some of the UK's best bars, including The American Bar at The Savoy, The Artesian Bar at The Langham Hotel and HMSS in Bristol. They are all fighting for the chance to host an event at one of the world's best bars, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in New York, after which they will then travel to Lynchburg, Tennessee, to learn how to make Jack Daniel’s themselves.

The final of the competition takes place tomorrow. 

The Nashville Sound- Thomas Hay-Owens ft. Rough Bark can be found on YouTube.