Used barrel was sulfur'd 3 years ago -- OK to use?

[Landwaster]

My brother bought a used 60 gallon barrel from a winery going out of business, about 3 years ago. He was told that a sulphur stick had been burned in it.

Fast forward to today and we are ready to retire our current barrel. I was reading about sulfur burning (we use the citric acid+ sulfite solution in our barrels since they're only sitting a few weeks between bottling and fermentation) and read somewhere that it's recommended that barrels be refilled with sulfur every 3 months.

I opened the bung today and it looks OK inside. No sulfur smell. If we decide to use it, we'll top it up with citric+sulfite so it can swell and sanitize. So my question is: is this barrel OK to use?

 

[crushday]

THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD USE THAT BARREL!!!

The cost of the wine exceeds the cost of a new barrel. Don't take your chances. If you want alternatives, please ask.