I plan to brew GA's Elderberry Imperial Stout using some dried Elderberries as I can't get fresh berries or juice. In preparation I have a packet of Young's dried Elderberries which I opened today to weigh out. The packet is within it's best before date(do these things actually go off?).
I've never used dried Elderberries before and I'm surprised by the smell of them. The first aroma that came from the packet was a musty smell rather like dog hair

At the moment I'm quite torn on whether to use them or not. Should I wash them before using or perhaps rehydrate them and discard excess water? I was just going to put them in at the start of the boil, so I assume they don't need cooking first.
I don't want to lose any of their flavour, but would like to be sure that my beer won't smell like an old dog. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
Jon