13 Questions for 13 Years: A Fond Farewell for Ailsa Hayes

Your relationship with Bruichladdich began in 2006 when you when you approached them for spirits and casks to make your soap. Continuing when you helped with the anaerobic digester experiments in 2010. But what brought you to work here full time? 

This job advert. This just summarises everything. Absolutely nuts – so I was instantly attracted. And by that point, the soap business was doing quite well. One of the part-timers took it on and leased the business. She was brilliant – far more organised than I ever was. Bruichladdich was always in the paper – the Ileach was always writing about the silly things they were doing. I just thought, ‘Oh, this sounds like so much fun!.’  

Bruichladdich was a bit of a wildcard when we reopened in 2001. Our ideas went against the grain, and they were operating on a shoestring budget. You arrived in 2012 right at the midpoint of this almost 25-year journey, tell me what the distillery was like when you first started?

So I officially came on when Barbara McEwan retired. That was the office manager role I applied for. I was doing that as well as running the anaerobic digesters. This was pre-Remy Cointreau. It was crazy, mental times. You never knew from one day to the next what was going to happen. There was one day I was literally putting out a fire on Duncan McGillivray’s boiler suit because he’d set himself alight with an angle grinder. There was another day...you come in, you think you’ve got your plan and then all of a sudden you’ve got to organise a bothy dinner in the middle of nowhere. So we were setting off down this track to set up the bothy with candles and everything. Kate Hannett was with me...the two of us were chased by bulls into a burn! 

So you just never knew from one day to the next what you were going to do, and I think that’s what I liked. I remember when we were called in and told that we’d been bought by Rémy Cointreau. Everybody was devastated because we were fiercely independent and it felt like we’d sold out and become like everybody else. That was a hard day. But it became apparent pretty quickly that we weren’t being bought to be changed. Mark had left, but we still had Simon, so it was still business as usual. But all of a sudden now you had a really good backer to get some of these ideas off the ground – like the Coultorsay Warehouse Project. We couldn’t have done that before. It took a while but I think everybody realised: gosh there couldn’t have been a better person to come along and do that for us. It maintained the fun but actually had some structure – some financial backing. 

How have you seen Bruichladdich change over the years? 

When I started there would have been about 60 people. Now we’re almost double that. But also when I started, there were still brilliant people, but people who were never formally trained in what they were being asked to do. They learned very quickly on the job. But now we’ve got people who are attracted to this business because of what it stands for. We’ve got people now that know what they’re doing! So we’ve grown in numbers but we’ve also grown up. The liquid is the same amazing liquid, but we’re probably able to do more with it. 

And how about the island? How has Islay changed over the last 13 years? 

Well, there's a lot more distilleries, so there's been huge investment in that side. But what we've not had investment in is the infrastructure. So, I feel the island is really struggling, although we're known as the whisky island, the majority of the people are not employed with the whisky industry. And you've got visitors coming in here and they've seen how nice it is and they're thinking, ‘Oh, I'd quite like a house here’ and they are snapping up houses. And it inflates the prices. So it's like the young – they haven't got a chance of getting on the housing ladder! I just hoped that there is a balance found because it's not sustainable the way it is at the moment. You're going to have a beautiful island filled with these amazing distilleries and everything, but actually there'll be no one to work here because no one can get a house! But it's still small. You still know a huge amount of people here; there's still the Islay Wave. I think when you're here, if you were in trouble, I genuinely think people would try to help you. It's still got that. 

What part of Bruichladdich’s evolution have you been most proud to be involved with? 

We did do a lot in raising the profile of the visitor centre and upping the visitor experience. Obviously, the festival and how it's grown... 

I think for me the proudest part is being involved in nurturing some of the talent that we've seen through the centre and seeing how these guys have flourished in the industry. We've got absolute superstars. We’ve had Raymond Tibbs through and Chloe Wood. At the moment, we’ve got Frazer Matthews who used to work in Jimmy Campbell's shop at Bridgend. I was in one day getting my shop and I heard and talked to a customer in there and I was just ear wigging and I went ‘Opp! I'm having you!’. And he's now a global brand ambassador. Kate Hannett who came through the Academy. Ashley, who leads all sorts of events all over the world. I mean, it's amazing these kids, the opportunities that they've got! 

There are no doubt countless incredible stories from your time at Bruichladdich. Can you give us one of your favourites? 

Yeah, there are loads of things – there are things that could never be spoken, or certainly never go to print! But probably one of my most memorable moments was when Duncan was retiring and we all got together and we chipped in and we bought him a new bicycle. Now it wouldn't be a big deal for a lot of people, but Duncan used to cycle from Port Charlotte to Bruchladdich every day on this old bicycle that weighed about half a ton, and he would cycle in these yellow wellies and his high-vis jacket to get him to work. We thought it would be a nice thing to get him a new shiny, lightweight bike so that in his retirement he could pedal about and do all these things. 

And he was so chuffed with his new bike, but that day we all took in our bikes as well. When he was leaving, we all met in the visitor centre to present him with his bike. And then we went outside and he got on his bike; we all got on our bikes, and we all cycled down to the Port Charlotte pub for a pint. It was a fitting send off for a really brilliant man. 

What dram for you stirs the most emotions?

For me, the most emotional ones are basically any of the Islay barley ones. I used to love being downstairs and my desk was next to the window. I’d see all the tractors pulling the trailers with the barley going past the window, trundling down to Octofad to dump the load of barley. And I just thought, ‘That is brilliant.’  I love the fact that we are part of this and we're driving this.  

Probably my favourite dram to drink, though, is the Bere barley. Again, I just love the story of the Bere barley. And the taste is just exceptional. 

What’s been the most fun part of your work over the last 13 years? 

This is really hard...it probably sounds a bit cliche, but it’s working with and meeting brilliant people that are that are just attracted to this place, and we get the chance to blether to them. 

What’s one lesson you’ve learned at Bruichladdich that you’ll carry with you? 

Everything starts with one small step. If you believe in it, you can make it happen. And I think that's very true about this place. There's been many times where you're just sitting in an office with people and you’re brainstorming, thinking, ‘Well, we know that this is what we need to do. How on earth are we going to do it??’ And not being scared to try something. Things are hard, but generally everything that's worthwhile is hard.  

What has been most inspirational to you during your time here? 

There've been inspirational people of course, but in general, I've just felt it's been a privilege and an inspiration to work with a business that genuinely cares for more than the bottom line. Having worked with in bigger companies, jeezo, this place looks after its people! They genuinely try to. 

You have long been one of the key people in charge of organising Bruichladdich’s Feis Day. How have you seen it develop over time and what will you miss most about that role? [Also, what part will you be happy to never do again?!] 

It’s become a much more professional operation. In the early days the stage was a curtain-sided trailer. Now we're bringing a production company. We've got a massive stage, LED lights; we've got a proper sound system. And Rock’ndaal is a name on the on the music and events scene. We get bands approaching us to come and play Rock’ndaal – which isn't bad for a bunch of folks that actually have no events planning experience! 

Haha! I think you can confidently say at this point you have some serious event planning experience.  

Yeah, well...it feels like I’ve been winging it for quite a while! But yeah...it’s been good fun. The bit I’ll miss is seeing it all come together and seeing everyone enjoying themselves. And just before this at the end of the night, seeing everyone jumping up and down, the band on stage... you're looking around and you know we've done it. We've managed it and I've been a part of that. So that's a good feeling. Yeah, I'll miss that.  

I will not miss sitting there waiting for the Calmac summer timetable to open up with a list of twenty-odd vehicles and Arctic lorries and whatnot, trying to get them booked on before everybody else. I will not miss that! 

What makes Bruichladdich unique in your eyes? 

Simple. It’s the people. It is a special place – a special business and attracts interesting folk to both sides of the counter. We've got really cool interesting folk that work here and some amazing folks that come into that shop. You just don't know who you're going to get. So yeah, really, it's the people that make Bruichladdich unique. 

If you could give one piece of advice for those taking up your mantle of Feìs Day planning, what would it be?

Triple check your checklist. And then check your checklist again. Because of where we are, if you don't have it there and you realise the day before festival...it ain’t comin’. 

2026 will be the 40th anniversary of Feis Ile and the 25th that Bruichladdich has hosted. For the first time in a long time, you won’t be biting your fingernails with festival planning stress! What will you do with all that extra energy? 

My youngest daughter's birthday is at the end of May. OK, so what's her name again, Rowan. So this will be the next year will be the first year in over a decade that I'll be able to spend some actual quality time with her.  

But you know, Festival is more than one day for everyone that’s involved in it on this island. It’s all the planning that goes into it, then it’s the day itself, then it’s the week afterwards where we’ve got all of the people that have travelled this week. You maybe only see them once a year. There are always lots of different things going on, so I’ve just not had the time. Festival week – or May in general – you survive on adrenaline and caffeine! 

Any parting words? 

Good luck? [laughs]. No...I’m just really proud to have been a part of this place. I’ll still be poppin’ in and talking to people about Bruichladdich. So I might not be in the office, but I don’t really feel like I’m leaving. 

Thank you Ailsa for thirteen years of Laddie can do attitude that leaves behind big aqua wellies to fill! We wish you the best of luck in the next chapter and look forward to catching up with you over a dram of Islay Barley anytime.