Anthony,
As the cooperage who has learned the importance of standing behind the integrity of every barrel, one of the things we have done is to provide some valuable resources regarding how to properly hydrate a barrel before use, and to make sure that barrels are never left unfilled for more than a month to prevent the kind of leaks we all want to avoid.
If you haven't yet, please take a look at a few of the videos we recently posted in the new blackwaterbarrels.com/academy site which may help.
We also have info about the extra testing that every barrel we make now goes through to ensure the integrity of every barrel. Call me directly if you have any issues, questions or want the real story behind some of the other comments in this thread.
Greg Pierce
803-465-3865
gpierce@blackwaterbarrels.com