First time using bourbon barrle

Fill the barrel with water and soak the outside of it so that you know the wood is swelled, otherwise it may leak precious beer until it swells from the inside. Once the beer is ready, fill the barrel by racking it as you would any other beer. Let it sit. Rack it back into a keg or whatever as you would normally do.

I'd recommend you get a copy of "Beer & Wood: A Brewer's Guide" by Dick Cantwell & Peter Boukaert.

 

I've only used 1 barrel, but I found it helpful to soak between batches with a liter of makers mark, which helps sterilize and gives more whiskey flavor. I think I also did this prior to first fill. I think you'll find that 2-3 months is too long for a 5 gallon barrel. But every barrel is a little different. I'd try it after about 3 weeks to see where its at, and then keep taking samples every week or so until its to your liking.

 

I've never used a barrel but I have read most of the threads on this topic. It seems to me that many threads have been very specific about procedures, although there are different opinions about the 'best' way. Here's a link to a search that I did that uses 'barrel' in the thread title. Maybe you overlooked some when you searched.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/117562024/?q=Barrel&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=8

 

Yes, if your barrel is not water-tight-swelled then you'll want to add water. I have not found the water to diminish the flavor but I'm working with full barrels so there's a huge difference. I do turn my barrels over and drain them the best that I can before filling. I do not, as some brewers do, add fresh Bourbon to coat the barrel but you could do that.

 

I've had my bourbon barrel for about 7 years and run a batch through it yearly. First float it in a bathtub for a day to make sure its swollen. Put a 1.75 of bourbon (I use Evan Williams) in it and move it around to sterilize the inside. Dump out the bourbon and fill. Once I've racked my beer to a keg, I'll rinse it a few times with water to get any trub out and then add back the bourbon to keep it sterile. When its not being used, I typically rotate the barrel periodically and add more bourbon as needed.

Rinsing with water does take away from the flavor. My last batch had more of a coconut taste to it than bourbon, but it was still good. Fresh barrels don't need much contact time with the beer to get a ton of flavor, check after a couple weeks. Future batches have taken more time to impart the flavor.

I've always filled mine to the top to minimize any O2 exposure and never have had any issues.