Oak chips for stout

I do not have oak barrels yet so for now i plan on using the oak chips. I want to soak them in some whiskey prior to adding to secondary.

Should i soak these in water first or just place them in the whiskey?

I put mine straight in to bourbon.

I have heard of people soaking them or steaming them in order to leach out some tannins that may be undesirable but I'm thinking of using mine with a big IPA or RIS so it may be less of an issue.

Put them right in the bourbon. I used chips on the stout i'm drinking now. I've read that the spirals impart better flavor and will try them next. Also, my friend told me that 16 oz. of bourbon was too much, so i strained some out of the soaking jar. i figure i put 8 oz. of bourbon in with the oak chips in my 5 gallon batch of imperial stout. This was not enough. Next time, I will use 16 oz. but, i like the bourbon flavor in my stout. with 8 only 8 oz., I barley notice it. Oh, and i used 4 oz. of oak chips.

How long did you soak the chips with your beer? I've been reading that chips impart flavor very quickly and shouldn't be done for more than a week.

I soaked the chips in the bourbon for two weeks while the beer was in the primary, then i left the oak chips in the secondary for two and a half weeks. The beer turned out great, but next time, I'll go three to four weeks and add more bourbon.