Oh yeah. That's a bourbon barrel, all right. Yes, you're getting the usual heathered peat notes that you'll get whenever you drink any Highland Park product - only instead of being balanced out by those fruity notes that you get in some of their other offerings (12 year, for example,) you're hit by the oaky vanilla-and-spice notes that you'd expect. The effect can be surprising when you first go in for a taste - though halfway through the glass, it's no longer a "why is this a thing," and is more of a "why wasn't this a thing sooner" reaction.