Celia Chiang, who once worked among roses and lilies, now finds herself surrounded by the scents of fermentation and grain alcohol. She is the new owner of Woods Spirit Co., a distillery located in a light industrial area of North Vancouver, just over the Second Narrows Bridge.
A Serendipitous Acquisition
Chiang, originally from Squamish, owned and operated two flower shops—Blooming Buds in Coquitlam and Port Moody Flowers—before selling them in 2019. She was studying distilling at Sons of Vancouver, located across the alley from Woods, when she learned the distillery was for sale. “As soon as I stepped into the space, I fell in love with Woods, the products, the people, the location, the community,” she said. She purchased the business in 2023 from co-founder Fabio Martini.
Expanding the Product Line
When Chiang took over, Woods had six core products: three amari (bittersweet liqueurs), a limoncello, a walnut liqueur called nocino, and Cascadian Gin. The amaro line includes Amaro Classico, Amaro Chiaro, and a barrel-aged style. The barrel-aged amaro won best in class at the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition this year. Chiang has since added a vodka, a cremoncello (Crema Nocciola), and an arancello made with blood oranges. Premixed negronis are in development, and the distillery plans to enter the brandy and whisky markets, with a whisky aging for a 2027 release. “I like the idea of something that’s more approachable, floral and light, with none of the peatiness,” Chiang said.
Unique Vacuum Distillation
Woods is one of the few distilleries in North America using a vacuum distiller. This process keeps temperatures low, extracting fresh and clean flavours from botanicals like grapefruit, orange, and warm wood. Adding vacuum-distilled citrus brightens the vodka. The Crema Nocciola uses hazelnuts from Abbotsford, coffee beans, and an oat milk base. Both the cremoncello and arancello were inspired by customer feedback at farmers and craft markets, where Woods is a regular vendor.
“I am very involved with markets,” Chiang said. “It’s an opportunity for me to learn from our customers, because we’re sampling right then and there, and they can provide feedback. I think that’s one of the most important things.”
