Yes, there probably was a tint in the stain. Because the tightness of the grain in wood varys so much, often a wiping stain will absorb very unevenly. This can be evened out by adding a stain to the final finish. I'm not aware of any tinted spray products available to the consummer, but there are wipe-on products in a variety of shades such as Minwax Wipe On Poly.