Name: Alan Rettie
Job title: Development Chemist
Company: Chivas Brothers Limited (UK)
Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky subsidiary of French premium spirit conglomerate Pernod Ricard, has 12 operating malt distilleries, a grain distillery, two gin distilleries and over 300 bonded warehouses in the UK, containing an extensive aged inventory of more than six million casks. Chivas Brothers brands include fifteen whiskies and spirits, all world famous names such as Beefeater Dry Gin, Chivas Regal Blended Scotch and The Glenlivet single malt whisky. Alan Rettie works as a Development Chemist for Chivas Brothers where he primarily focuses on whisky analysis. In this latest user story Alan describes his role and the instruments he uses for his analysis.
Typically, what is the focus of your GC analysis - what sort of applications?
“My job role primarily involves whisky analysis.”
What Peak Scientific generators do you have in your laboratory and what GC instruments do they supply?
“We have four hydrogen generators for our GC-FID and GC-ECD analysis and two nitrogen generator to UPLC-MS/MS.”
What prompted you to choose a Peak generator and how long have you used them?
“Reliability - we have had the hydrogen generators for four years and the nitrogen generator for two years.”
What has been the key benefit of deploying Peak generators as opposed to your previous gas supply solution?
“Reduction in cylinder handling and need to have pressurized gas systems maintained. We have also seen a cost saving on hydrogen generators.”
How would you describe your purchasing experience with Peak in terms of speed of response, ease of ordering, catering for your needs and timing of delivery?
“Very good – Peak do well to meet our requirements on servicing.”
Have you ever had a site visit from a Peak engineer, if so, could you describe your experience of this support?
“The service we received from the Peak engineer was very good indeed.”
Would you recommend Peak Scientific generators to other laboratories - and if so, what would be your main reason for the recommendation?
“Yes - reliability. We feel hydrogen generators are so reliable we do not have service contracts on them.”
Alan has 6 Peak gas generators in his lab providing a consistent source of gas for his analysis, this includes four PH600 hydrogen gas generators which offer a safe, reliable high purity flow of hydrogen gas to his GC. Peak’s PH hydrogen generators are first generation systems which were discontinued in 2013 when Peak launched the Precision series of gas generators, specifically designed for GC. Although Precision replaced the PH series, it is pivotal to note that the generators, 4 years on are still delivering results and were used as the basis for the latest generation GC generators. This is testament to the engineering and robust technology Peak provides their customers.
Alan’s MS analysis is provided by two Peak NM32LA nitrogen gas generators. The Genius NM32LA is a compressor based generator which offers a consistent flow of nitrogen gas up to 32L/min. The generator has been built to last, with minimal maintenance requirements, and been designed for ease of use with gas produced at the push of a button.
Alan reported the key benefits of his generator are the reduction of cylinder handling in his lab. Not having to worry about cylinder changeovers, running out of gas or even having to maintain pressurized cylinders have made an impact in his everyday working life. The generators have assisted in making Alan’s lab more efficient. Similarly, Alan has also found a cost saving for his lab by using Peak’s hydrogen gas generators. Our gas generators have low ongoing costs and deliver workflow efficiencies unmatched by cylinders.