use good bourbon like makers mark. i used a lot of jim beam in my whee heavy and it tastes fine so it's doable. def soak a vanilla bean in the bourbon with the oak cubes prior to adding and the liquor will extract the vanilla flavor better than boiling ever could. soak for a few days at least, the longer the better. don't worry about removing any hops. you can even leave them in for fermentation if you really wanted to! sounds like a promising recipe
what kind of yeast are you using. 6 months aging will prob be fine for this recipe, 1 year might be over kill. 6 months in the bottle will be your best best; 6&6