Chivas Brothers Select DensiCheck

Having installed DensiCheck systems to monitor spirit strength on the spirit and wash stills at two of their distilleries over the last couple of years, Chivas have now completed the installation of DensiCheck equipment at all of their eight distilleries.

DensiCheck, Canongate's in-line liquid concentration measurement system incorporates a flange mounted ultrasonic sensor, with an intrusive temperature sensor to compensate for variations in temperature to produce measurements generally within +/- 0.1% of concentration. Installed on spirit and wash stills DensiCheck displays the alcohol by volume within the pipe at the key points when accurate strength measurements are critical. The DensiCheck systems within Chivas plants are all installed immediately prior to the spirit safe. DensiCheck supports all standard communications mechanisms and at Chivas the signals are fed into the plant control plc.

Chivas are now using the DensiCheck system at all eight of their distilleries namely; The Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Strathisla, Longmorn, Caperdonich, Benriach, Allt A Bhainne and Braeval. The DensiChecks are used in place of manual hydrometers and in conjunction with the PLC and other instrumentation allow Chivas to monitor and control the distillation process.

Raymond Bain, Automation Engineer at Chivas Northern Operations based in Keith says " Most of the systems have now been installed and fully operation for ten months with no problems. The last few systems are being installed during the first few months of 2001 and we do not envisage any problems."

DensiCheck can be used on a number of other applications within the whisky production process, including wort gravity measurement in the mash house and %solids measurement in pot ale.