Storage of Bourbon Barrels until able to fill?

[ibrewforyou]

we just had a few bourbon barrels shipped to us but will not be able to fill with beer for another 5-7 days. they are freshly emptied. there is a good amount of bourbon still in them (looked inside). we have been rolling them around everyday and flipping them over and storing them on both heads.

what is the best method to keep these in good shape until we are able to fill?

wet down the outside of the wood?
wrap them in plastic?
etc?

thanks

[BrewinLou]

Your worrying too much. If they are that fresh you are fine. There is plenty of Bourbon still in the wood. You would probably be fine for that many weeks depending on the relative humidity and temp. You have to worry about days when you have high temps and direct sunlight. If you want to keep it tight for a long period turn the barrel on its end and put some water on the end facing up for a few days then turn it over and do the other side every now and then. Cheers.

[beerdweeb]

You should be fine

You should be fine. I just filled ~20 bourbon barrels yesterday that had been dry for almost two weeks. No leaks. If you do develop a small leak, it should swell up or stop itself quite quickly. For minor leaks I just leave the barrel(s) over the drain for the night and re-evaluate in the morning, but they normally tend to fix themselves.