[Keith]

Got a 5 gallon Barrel from Balcones Distilling for Christmas this year and since it had been empty for a about 4 months, I  went ahead and filled the barrel with 180 degree water to make sure it held liquid. The Barrel held the water fine and didn't have any leaks. I then went ahead and dumped a handle of Makers into it for storage since I wasn't going to be using the barrel for awhile...skip ahead to now. My RIP is ready to go into the barrel, however I just realized that the whole handle of makers that was dumped in soaked into the barrel. There does seem to still be some moisture in the barrel however. So where should I go from here? Is the barrel good to go as is? Should i swish some whisky around in it to make sure it's sanitized? Or do I need to purge it again with hot water then charge it with more whisky? Any recommendations would be appreciated. This is my first attempt at barrel aging.

[reverseapachemaster]

Smart people differ about the right way to treat barrels, which probably means there are several good ways to accomplish the same goals. What you need is to make sure the barrel won't leak and isn't infected.

Personally after a four month empty period I would swell the barrel by soaking the exterior in distilled water for a few days with a bung in it to make sure it is tight and won't leak. Adding more alcohol inside the barrel while you do this wouldn't be a bad idea.

You could add a storage solution of hot water plus sulfite plus citric acid or just hot water to the inside of the barrel but IMO it's more important to have a good seal on the outside of the barrel than the inside. If the inside is damp it's probably fine but the outside is probably dry enough that it might leak a little.

[jjflash]

I have being using these Balcones barrels for years, currently have 10 in use.
These are high quality barrels and I have yet to find one that leaks.
However, the occasional rough barrel will make it through - my buddy had two.
These are freshly dumped and best used immediately.
That said, I too have delayed filling barrels.
I have filled them with beer and they leaked very slightly and promptly stopped within 24 hours.
If you acid wash the barrel you are stripping out valuable flavors you want to stay.
All that said I would agree with external water treatment to hedge the bet.
Keep everything else out of the inside is my advice.
Re-whiskey-ing is a great technique I use to extend the barrel life before exhaustion and being sent to the sour barrel collection.
Yes, these barrels will absorb and evaporate a large portion of whiskey introduced and left for a while.
When dry they are very porous.
I have used up to one-half a 1.75 liter bottle in just a couple weeks in some barrels.