Bringing Rock'ndaal to life with Ailsa Hayes

3000 people, 20 vehicles, 5 trailers, 1 artic lorry, hundreds of whisky bottles, and countless tasting glasses, plus beds for nearly 60 Laddie Crew members during a week where Islay’s population triples.

This is just a smattering of the details that need to be organised for Rock’ndaal: Bruichladdich Distillery’s event day that sits at the start of Islay's world-renowned whisky festival, Fèis Ile. Coordinating large event logistics requires a certain talent under normal circumstances. Throw in the fact that everything needs to be shipped over by ferry (well...everything but the whisky), and you quickly realise that a truly solid team of talented individuals is required.

We are fortunate to have a rockstar team of ten who are not only willing to take on the monumental task of organising Rock’ndaal every year, but who absolutely nail it. And Ailsa Hayes, the distillery’s Head of Customer Experience & Events, is the valiant soul who heads up the team.

“It was a brilliant childhood,” Ailsa says. “Back then, Lochgilphead was very much like Islay where everyone knew one another. I was surrounded by family. I’m an outdoorsy person and enjoyed wandering with the dogs and going on runs around the canal banks. I was also a member of the athletics and karate clubs, which mostly kept me out of trouble.”

Ailsa left her home town to train as an applied chemist at Strathclyde University in Glasgow. She then graduated and went travelling, eventually ending up in South Africa where she met her husband, Graham. Together, they moved to Islay in 2004.

“When we arrived on Islay, our daughters were eight months and three years old. I was worried that living on an island would make me feel trapped. We are at the mercy of the ferries. But I didn’t – we hardly bothered leaving! We were renting a house in Portnahaven at the time. I loved it: listening to the seals singing and playing with the girls on the wee shore. It helps enormously that the Islay folk are great and really welcoming.”

Graham’s job with Inver Farmers is what brought them to Islay. Once here, Ailsa decided to put her chemical training to a different sort of use: making and selling soap using local whisky.

“Soap is made by mixing fatty acids (like vegetable oils) and lye, but to make it transparent, you need alcohol,” Ailsa explains. “Luckily, we have a whole island full of that.”

She approached Bruichladdich Distillery, thinking they would be likely to help her out with her unconventional idea. Her assessment was correct: the distillery sold her the whisky and gave her plenty of empty casks to work with. Ailsa opened her shop, Spirited Soaps, soon after in Bowmore, selling artisanal soaps, lotions, and candles.

“I can remember my first day. I’d spent weeks stockpiling to make enough to open the shop – and then the fear kicked in. What if nobody comes?! I needn’t have worried. Folk would always nip in for a wee slice of soap or even just a blether. And when they had family visiting, they would make sure to bring them in.”

Later, when Bruichladdich Distillery began experimenting with an anaerobic digester to generate electricity from the waste pot ale and spent lees, they asked for Ailsa’s help. She began working directly with them, putting her training as a chemist to use in yet another form. Although they managed to prove the concept, the project eventually was abandoned.

“It’s a shame, but to be honest, it was the wrong piece of kit, sited in the wrong place. As our production schedule doesn’t run seven days a week, it’s hard to achieve stability in the system; there is too much stopping and starting. It’s difficult to retrofit these things, especially to a distillery built in 1881.”

It wasn’t until 2012, when Jim McEwan’s wife retired, that Ailsa decided to lease out her soap business (still going strong, by the way) and officially join the team. She’s been part of the Fèis coordination team since she joined, and began leading it in 2015. She also made a huge success of the distillery shop.

Ailsa’s team members describe her as having an infectious laugh and being “vibrant”, “supportive”, “kind-hearted”, “strong-minded”, and “empowering”.

Ailsa is quick to deflect compliments, however, and instead cites the incredible team she works with.

“We now have a strong Fèis Team with dedicated workstreams to make sure we put on a good show. We’ve had a few near misses over the years, resulting in me biting my nails down to my elbows with worry, but somehow, we’ve always managed to deliver – even during Covid."

"Every year we get better at it," says Ailsa. "It’s a slick machine now, but we will always push ourselves to improve things year on year. However, without fail, the greatest challenge is getting everything to Islay that we need to make it all happen. We need to bring over tents, stages and full production kits, as well as sound engineers, the bands, and the rest of our team from Glasgow. And then we just need to pray for the weather!"

In the end, Ailsa finds it’s all worth it.

“Hearing the pipers coming down from the Masterclass, feeling the anticipation as the gates open, and watching people that haven’t seen each other since the previous Bruichladdich Day meet up again is amazing,” she says.

“Feis is a celebration. It’s about giving back to the local community and all those who have supported us. It brings everyone together. It’s good craic.”

With such an interesting array of occupations under her belt, one might wonder if there were any other career paths Ailsa has dreamt of over the years.

“Honestly, the dream job would be working in an elephant sanctuary, but until then, I’ll content myself with looking after my current four-legged menagerie of dogs and horses.” she laughs.

After ten years of organising Fèis, an elephant sanctuary would likely be a breeze – though no doubt filled with its own set of incredible stories. We’ve got our fingers crossed that Ailsa will stick around a few more years before shifting gears to open Islay’s first elephant sanctuary. In the meantime, Bruichladdich Distillery is incredibly grateful to her and the Fèis Team for all they do to make Rock’ndaal such a fantastic event year after year.