Whiskey is a product of several crucial decisions that impact both style and flavor. Choices like the base grain, barrel selection, and how long the liquid ages are all relatively self-explanatory. But the difference between using a sweet mash or a sour mash might not be as easy to grasp. The terms aren’t totally unfamiliar — Jack Daniel’s famously stamps “sour mash” front and center on its iconic flagship bottle — but what they are and how they influence the whiskey is a bit esot...