Empty Whiskey Barrel Storage Question

Our club has recently obtained a 50 gallon whiskey from a distiller in Denver. We got it about two weeks ago. We picked a recipe and 5 of us brewed the same recipe using the same ingrediants, and yeast from the local brewpub. We all did a robust porter.

My question is this. What should we be doing to the keg while we wait for the beer to go in it? We are all going to ferment out in carboys and combine the beer in the barrel for aging. We live around 6500 feet in elevation so it is very dry up here.

Do we need to be concerned with the barrel drying out? What can we do keep that from happening? Do we need to worry about storing the barrel after it is filled?

Any help or suggestions would be great. This is first time for all of us.

Any idea how long ago it was drained? It wouldn't hurt to fill her up with water and check for leaks. If it was dry and there are some leaks, let the water sit and the wood will swell. Once done mix up a solution of (1) ounce of sodium metabisulphite and half (1/2) ounce of citric acid per gallon of water. Do a few gallons of this and slosh it around in the barrel. dump, rinse. You're ready to go.

I store my barrels with the same solution above when not currently using. Keeps the nasties away and keeps the wood swollen.

I just got word from the guy who picked it up. It has been empty for about 25 days. We are going to leak test it this weekend. I ordered the campden tablets. I guess we will see how it goes.

Thanks for the info