First Imperial Stout Advise

Got the kit from northern brewer during their special. Some quick questions/confirmations from more experienced brewers would be great here.

1. Starter - Obviously needed here right? 1.084OG I believe.

2. Bucket primary or Carboy? I assume a bucket is fine

3. With all the fermentables, do I want to top up OVER 5 gallons or top to 5 and just have less to bottle later?

4. Will a 6 gallon carboy work for secondary? There will be some headspace, even with oak cubes.

5. Oak cubes - after soaking in bourbon, how long to leave in secondary? I was thinking of just racking on top of the cubes for 4-6 months. Will that be too much?

Thanks for helping! Any other advice for a big stout like this? It's my first really big beer and first long aging one, so I don't want to mess it up and after 7 months have a batch of vinegar or oxidized cardboard. Thanks!

i would think 4-6 months on oak would extract too many tannins

Yes, use a starter or pitch more vials/packs of yeast.

Bucket or carboy is fine, the beer and the yeast dont really have a preference like we do

Top up til you hit your og, 5.25 gallons is usually what i do.

i would only secondary in a 6 gallon carboy if i purged it with c02 first.

Oak cubes are personal preference, i would primary 4-6 weeks, seconday on the cubes for a month or so, and then bottle age it myself.