Compressors keep whisky flowing
A
CompAir UK product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Feb 1, 2006
Brewing of 18-year-old single malt whisky helped by air compressors.
Highland Park, whose 18-year-old single malt whisky has been named "best spirit in the world" by US drinks magazine Spirits Journal, has used Hydrovane air compressors as part of its complex distillery process on Orkney for more than 30 years.
Whisky making at Highland Park is a way of life and the brand adheres to traditional methods of distilling that go way back - no corners are cut.
In particular, Highland Park continues to malt its own barley using the traditional floor malting method and to kiln dry the green malt using peat cut from its own moorlands.
But some modern mechanical methods have been introduced.
In fact, Highland Park has used air compressors to drive tools for decades, but has only introduced this equipment as part of the actual distilling process in the past five years.
One purpose is to use air from the compressor to remove a solid waste, known as draff: this by-product is then sold as animal feed.
George McKenzie, Engineering Manager for Highland Distillers, which produces the Highland Park whisky, has been with the company for over 12 years and has never had any problems with the Hydrovane compressors.
"Our first Hydrovane is now 30 years old and has been running reliably since its first day, powering tools and instruments throughout the distillery," he said.
"Over the years Hydrovane has made various modifications to the filtration systems in its compressors, which, in my opinion, results in the ability to produce much cleaner air than its predecessors or competitors".
"These improvements meant we could begin using the compressors as part of the actual distilling process as the quality of air was pure enough not to taint the whisky".
Airchannel (formerly Woodside Pneumatics) in Aberdeen recently supplied Highland Park with another Hydrovane to replace an old screw-compressor at the site, the origins of which date back to 1798.
The model chosen was the HV22RS variable speed from the Hydrovane range of free-standing compressors and is helping reduce energy costs.
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