AlcoDens - Calculations for Spirits Distillers
The AlcoDens main screen, showing the toolbar buttons which call up the individual calculators. The calculator functions are described below.
"Harvey: just a note to tell you how much I love Alcodens. Worked perfectly "out of the box" and has become one of the most used and useful tools at my distillery. Thanks for making such a great product! We'd be sunk without it! Regards, David"
Six and Twenty Distillery, Easley, SC, USA
Program Description
AlcoDens is a collection of 6 powerful and flexible calculators designed for distillers, blenders and bottlers of potable alcohol (ethanol). These programs replace the manual calculations that are usually done in conjunction with the TTB Tables, the Practical Alcohol Tables and Ethanol Density Tables. They will give you quick, easy and accurate determinations of your alcohol stocks and calculations of your alcohol blending, proofing, dilution and fortification ratios, plus a few extra calculations that go beyond what the tables can do for you.
Where applicable, the AlcoDens calculators will allow you to specify the strength (concentration) of the alcohol blend using Alcohol Proof, ABV (Volume %), Mass %, Ethanol Density, or Molar %. The data covers temperatures from -20°C to 100°C (-4°F to 212°F) and concentrations from 0 to 100% (0 to 200 Proof). All ethanol density and strength data values between -20°C and 40°C are compliant with the International Alcoholometric Tables (OIML), but can also be expressed on an "in air" basis to make AlcoDens compatible with the TTB Tables used in the USA.
In addition to this flexibility in specifying the alcohol blend strength, AlcoDens has a very wide range of units built in for specifying or calculating the temperatures, masses, volumes and densities.
AlcoDens is designed for mixtures of alcohol and water only. If you need to do calculations for liqueurs that also contain sugar please see AlcoDens LQ.
The six calculators are:
- The Ethanol Hydrometer Temperature Correction Calculator. This calculator allows you to use a density, ABV or Proof hydrometer at a temperature other than the hydrometer's calibration temperature and convert apparent alcohol strength to true strength. You will get the results as ABV, Proof, density and mass %, whichever type of hydrometer you use. Unlike printed tables, it will work for any calibration temperature.
You can enter the hydrometer and thermometer calibration factors and the calculator will determine the true values from the apparent readings. Click one button to transfer the true strength to the volume correction calculator to determine true quantity. Example using the hydrometer temperature correction calculator. - The Volume Correction for Temperature Calculator. This is an essential calculator for inventory management. It will correct volumes measured at any temperature to your standard temperature and determine the absolute alcohol (liters AA, LALs, Proof gallons etc) content. This calculator also converts between mass and volume quantities. Example using the volume correction calculator.
- The Ethanol Density-Strength Conversion Calculator. Do you need to convert between Mass % and Volume % (ABV) or Proof? This AlcoDens tool converts between density and strength (concentration) for any two of Ethanol Density, Mass %, Volume % (ABV), Alcohol Proof or Molar % taking temperature into account where necessary. This calculator will also convert the ethanol density of a given blend at one temperature to a density at another temperature. The ABV (Volume %) strength of an ethanol-water blend varies with temperature because of the different rates of expansion for ethanol and water, and this effect can also be calculated. Example converting alcohol mass percentage to volume percentage.
This calculator is also an accurate and easy to use replacement for ethanol density to concentration tables and charts. Ethanol density tables work at a single temperature, but AlcoDens can convert an ethanol density to/from a concentration or alcohol proof at any temperature between -20 °C and 100 °C (-4 °F to 212 °F).
- The Ethanol-Water Blending Calculator. Do all your alcohol dilution, proofing, blending and fortification calculations in mass or volume (or mixed) terms. It automatically compensates for temperature when calculating volumes. AlcoDens takes the ethanol-water mixing shrinkage (contraction) into account to give full accuracy in determining strength and volume. It enables you to blend more than 2 sources together by dealing with them sequentially. Print blending reports. Examples using the blending calculator.
- The Blending by Mass in a Single Container Calculator. This blending calculator is available for the specific situation where the blending is being done by mass in a single container. This could be a lab-scale blending in a beaker on a benchtop balance, a single drum on a platform scale, or a large tank mounted on load cells. The tare mass of the container can be accommodated, the gross and nett masses are shown, and the calculator is simplified by having fewer options. Example using the blending in a single container calculator.
- The Alcohol Freezing Point Calculator. The freezing point calculator will give the temperature at the alcohol freezing point from the strength, or it can calculate the highest strength that would freeze at a given temperature. The alcohol freezing point data in AlcoDens covers the range from 0°C (32°F) down to -115.5°C (-175.9°F). This corresponds to an ethanol strength range from 0% to 93% by Mass. Example using the freezing point calculator.
- Calculators for Liqueurs containing Sugar. Calculations for liqueurs that also contain sugar can be done using our separate program AlcoDens LQ.
All of the AlcoDens calculators have built-in context sensitive help available at the press of a button. Or if you need more help than that you are welcome to email us for the support you need.
"I have been using version v2.3 regularly for the last couple of months since its release and I find it very quick and easy to do almost any imaginable distillery calculation. The author has been very helpful when I have had queries, and included some extra features I suggested after using v2.2 initially." Peter Bignell
Belgrove Distillery,
Kempton, Tasmania
Try AlcoDens for free on your own computer before you buy
Testing the AlcoDens gauging and blending calculator is risk free. Download and test the free, but fully functional, trial version for 15 runs before you make the decision to buy. After your purchase you are covered by our 30 day money back guarantee. No questions asked. And if AlcoDens is upgraded tomorrow you get that free too. In fact all updates released within 12 months of your purchase are yours for free. No risks, just great software.
"Hi Harvey, Just tried the freezing point calculator and it's fantastic! I like the other tools you've added too. Many thanks for the update. Kind regards, Pete"
Selden Research Limited, Derbyshire, UK
AlcoDens Development History
| Version 3.5 | March 2022 |
Added discussion of Canadian alcoholometric tables to Help file Added ability to select 3rd party calculator in place of Windows calculator Some redundant units of measurement removed |
| Version 3.3 | July 2017 |
Added welcome screen to trial version |
| Version 3.1 | March 2017 |
Added print function to Volume correction calculator Added SG relative to water at 20°C to density units Minor formating changes |
| Version 3.0 | February 2016 |
Added "blend by mass in single container" calculator Added sequential blending facility Easily determine absolute alcohol content of blend Added TTB (in air) and OIML (in vacuum) options for determining masses and densities Allow some data to be hidden on hydrometer correction calculator for clarity Added calibration factors to hydrometer correction calculator Allow some data to be hidden on volume correction calculator for clarity Allow locking of all standard temperatures Other minor formating and UI changes |
| Version 2.5 | February 2013 |
Fixed decimal places for density field in strength converter |
| Version 2.4 | January 2013 |
Easier license installation |
| Version 2.3 | September 2012 |
Temperature range extended down to -20°C Values between -20°C and 40°C compliant with International Alcoholometric Tables (OIML) Added volume correction calculator Added freezing point calculator Improvements to hydrometer correction calculator Improvements to blending calculator |
| Version 2.2 | July 2009 |
Added "Proof @60°F" |
| Version 2.1 | January 2009 |
Improved error reporting |
| Version 2.0 | May 2007 |
Added hydrometer temperature correction calculator |
| Version 1.0 | October 2003 |
First public release of AlcoDens |
"Harvey, ... the end of the process always comes back neatly to the values we need after applying the recommended quantities that AlcoDens comes up with. It has become an integral and indispensable part of our wine batch management. We use it as the basis of all our fortified batches. So thanks a lot, it's a great product! Regards, David"
Ping's Syrups & Wines, Hialeah, FL, USA
AlcoDens in use during blend gauging
AlcoDens isn't only used in the comfort of the office. Here it is being used right on the distillery floor during blend gauging at Six & Twenty Distillery.