gifted a used whiskey cask - best use to put it to?

[OzzyPeeps]

So as per title, a friend happened to know someone at a bonded warehouse/distillery and they were getting rid of an old barrel ...

I don't know what the original provenance was - whether it was originally sherry or what - I'm in Ireland so my guess is probably French oak/sherry ...

Aaaanyway .... As cool as it looks as an ornamental table...

Presumably they were getting rid of it because it was no further use for aging whiskey - as a barrel - but, my assumption is that, if I were to disassemble it into individual staves and remove the char inside and grind/sand back to "fresh" oak, that, even though there may not be much/any sherry character left, the oak itself would still be good for any wines beers whiskeys or rums that called for it if I break it down into cubes or matchsticks or whatever ...

An I on the right track?

Would that work or is there something better that could be done with it?

Anything to look out for ?

Sanitation issues for using with beers?

Edit: ... or is there any point ? ... If it's "spent" for whiskey is it spent for everything?

My thinking was only the parts in contact with the whiskey would be spent and there would still be usable oak towards the exterior, but perhaps this is a misconception?

Thanks in advance


Ozzy

 

[hottpeper13]

I've got a 5 gal one that's on it's 8th or 9th run. After I rack the beer out I flush it with hot water until it runs clear, leave it bung hole down over a bucket for a week or two. I then add 8 oz of turkey 101 and roll it around for a day or two, then rack the new beer into it.
The beers are at least 10% and stay in for around 8 months.
I had a 25 gal that developed a leak on a lower head so I took it apart, sanded the outside, ripped some to fit carboy necks and my small 5 gal bung hole. If you want to retrieve them drill a hole for a zip tie, they can also be daisy chained for larger containers. I sanded them so you can roast in an oven at 250* until you smell wood, to bring out more vanilla flavor.

Only you can tell if it's usable as a RIS or maybe a quad(one of my favs) aging. There's a solution of medibisulfite and citric acid to sanitize, you'll have to look that up. If it doesn't leak when filled with this solution you should be able to rinse it out, let it dry hole down for a short time(maybe while the beer is in primary) then recharge it with some turkey 101. I use this whisky because it's best value, 8 oz for every 5 gal of barrel capacity. The bigger the barrel the more time.

 

[fluketamer]

i love me some swish!
fill it full of water let it sit for a week then get hammered.