Flavors and Varieties
Following the success of Code Red in 2001, over 30 subsequent flavors bearing the "Mountain Dew/Mtn Dew" name have been introduced. Original Mountain Dew, Caffeine-Free Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew, Caffeine-Free Diet Mountain Dew, Code Red, Diet Code Red, Live Wire, Voltage, Throwback, White Out, Diet Supernova,Johnson City Gold, and Game Fuel Cherry Citrus are the currently available drinks on the Mountain Dew line (some are region-specific and may not appear in certain areas). This table covers all Mountain Dew flavor variants to date.
Mountain Dew Slurpee, Energy, and International Variations
| Dates of production | Notes | Picture | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dew | 1948 – Present | The original flavor. A yellow-green-colored, lemon-citrus-flavored soda that was developed in the 1940s by Barney and Ally Hartman, who were beverage bottlers in Tennessee. A revised formula was created by Bill Bridgforth in the year 1958. Flavor changed to use HFCS in 1990's. Old recipe using natural sugar is now Throwback. | ||
| Caffeine-Free Mountain Dew | 1976 – Present | Non-caffeinated Mountain Dew. Available in various parts of the United States. In Australia, it was once sold as regular Mountain Dew, but as of June 2012 Australian Mountain Dew is now sold with caffeine in it. Until 2012, the Canadian version of Mountain Dew was caffeine-free, but has been reformulated as Mountain Dew "Citrus Charge" and now contains caffeine. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew | 1988 – Present | A no-calorie Mountain Dew that was first introduced in 1988. It was formerly known as "Sugar-Free Mountain Dew" until 1986, when it was given its current name. In 2006 Diet Mountain Dew was reformulated with a new "Tuned Up Taste", using a blend of sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium as sweeteners. The previous formulation was sweetened exclusively with aspartame. In limited areas in the United States, Diet Mountain Dew has treated water instead of carbonated water as a fountain drink. | ||
| Mountain Dew Red | 1988 | Simply known to be Fruit-flavored Mountain Dew, Red was the first Mountain Dew flavor variation, and was discontinued the same year it was released. Its legacy lives on as Mountain Dew Code Red, but the two are entirely different flavors. It was only available in Alabama. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Red | 1988 | Simply known to be a zero-calorie version of Mountain Dew Red. Like the original version, it was also discontinued in the same year it was introduced and was only available in Alabama. | ||
| Caffeine-Free Diet Mountain Dew | 1989 – Present | A no-calorie, non-caffeinated Mountain Dew. Available in limited locations in the United States. In Australia it is simply labeled as "Diet Mountain Dew." | ||
| Mountain Dew Sport
(Discontinued) |
1989–1991 | Following initial test marketing in 1989, this Mountain Dew-flavored sports drink was released in a limited number of U.S. regions in 1990. A 2-calorie variant was released, as well as a Diet version. They were all short-lived, being discontinued in 1991. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Sport
(Discontinued) |
1989–1991 | A zero-calorie version of Mountain Dew Sport. Like the original version, it was also discontinued in 1991. | ||
| Mountain Dew Code Red | 2001 – Present | A cherry-flavored Mountain Dew. Introduced in 2001, it was the first widely successful flavor extension; In its first year of production, Code Red increased overall sales of Mountain Dew by 6%. It was later released in New Zealand in 2009. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Code Red | 2002 – Present | A no-calorie, no-sugar cherry-flavored Mountain Dew. Available in limited areas only, it was first introduced in late 2002. | ||
| Mountain Dew Live Wire | 2003 – Present | An orange-colored, orange-flavored Mountain Dew. Live Wire was initially introduced in 2003 as a limited-edition flavor for the summer. In 2005, after two years of limited summer releases, Live Wire became a permanent addition to the Mountain Dew product line. It appears that Live Wire became region-specific in 2011, as many areas across the U.S. began noticing its disappearance from shelves. It was also released in New Zealand in 2011. | ||
| Mountain Dew Pitch Black
(Discontinued in US) |
2004, 2011 (US) and 2011 – Present (New Zealand) | A dark purple-colored, grape-flavored Mountain Dew released for the 2004 Halloween season. Because Canada has restrictions, Pitch Black was released as a caffeine-free drink in Canada. Pitch Black was re-released in 2011 as a part of the "Back by popular DEWmand" promotion in the United States and was also released in New Zealand. The US version stayed on shelves through May and July. | ||
| Mountain Dew Baja Blast | 2004 – Present | A sea green, tropical lime-flavored Mountain Dew introduced in 2004, available exclusively as a fountain drink at Taco Bell restaurants. Beginning in January 2006, internet hoaxes began spreading, claiming that Baja Blast would be available in 20 oz. bottles and sold in stores. In 2011, however, videos began surfacing online of people finding this flavor in fountain drinks in convenience stores outside of Taco Bell restaurants, revealing that the drink was no longer exclusive to Taco Bell restaurants. A flavor analog to Baja Blast can be created with a 50/50 blend of Powerade Mountain Blast and Mello Yello. Beverage reviewers have noted a similarity in taste between the Mountain Dew Game Fuel Alliance Blue limited edition flavor and Baja Blast. | ||
| Mountain Dew Pitch Black II
(Discontinued) |
2005 | A dark purple-colored, sour grape-flavored Mountain Dew, released as a limited edition flavor for Halloween in 2005. Referred to as the "sequel" to the original Pitch Black, which was released in 2004. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel (Halo 3 Edition)
(Discontinued) |
2007 | A red-orange-colored, citrus-cherry-flavored Mountain Dew first released in August 2007 for a total of 12 weeks to promote the release of Halo 3, an Xbox 360 game. Two years later, this flavor saw a limited return to shelves promoting the MMORPG World of Warcraft. It was sold under the name "Mountain Dew Game Fuel Horde Red" with redesigned packaging and a new counterpart flavor. On 24 August 2011, it was officially announced that this flavor would once again return to shelves to coincide with the upcoming game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Its taste has been compared to "LiveWire", "Code Red" and the energy drink AMP Overdrive (another drink sold under the Mountain Dew brand name). | ||
| Mountain Dew Revolution
(Discontinued) |
2008 | A sky blue-colored, wild berry fruit-flavored Mountain Dew with ginseng for flavor enhancement. One of the three "candidate flavor" finalists for DEWmocracy's "People's Dew" national vote. Revolution held the majority amount of votes until the end of the promotion, when dropped to 3rd place and lost to Mountain Dew Voltage. In 2011, The "Mountain Dew Throwback Shack" began to have a prize of "A Hidden Stash of Dew" which was then revealed to be glass bottles of Revolution with lab labels on them. Demand for Revolution has increased since Pitch Black, Typhoon, and Supernova were returning to shelves, but Mountain Dew said that there were currently no plans to rerelease Revolution, but they "Never say Never". | ||
| Mountain Dew Supernova
(Discontinued) |
2008, 2011 | A magenta-colored, strawberry-melon-flavored Mountain Dew with ginseng. One of the three "candidate flavor" finalists for DEWmocracy's "People's Dew" national vote, it lost to Mountain Dew Voltage. It had held the least amount of votes until the end, when it ended up coming in 2nd place. This flavor was re-released as a part of the "Back by popular DEWmand" promotion in early May 2011 and stayed on shelves through July. | ||
| Mountain Dew Voltage | 2008 – Present | A deep blue-colored, raspberry-citrus-flavored Mountain Dew with ginseng for flavor enhancement. A part of the first DEWmocracy promotion, it was released in stores on 19 May 2008 as a limited edition flavor so that people could taste test which flavor they like best before voting. Voltage was announced to be the winner with 42% of all votes on 17 August 2008. It was officially released as a permanent flavor on 29 December 2008 and was later released in New Zealand in 2011 under the name "Electro Shock" and described as a "charge of wild berry flavor."
A Diet Voltage was released in 2011 as a part of the "FanDEWmonium" promotion and made it to the finals with Diet Mountain Dew Supernova, meaning it had a limited release in U.S. stores while voting took place, until Diet Supernova was revealed to be the winner. It came in second in voting, against Diet Mountain Dew Supernova with 45% out of all votes. |
||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel
(World of Warcraft "Horde Red" Edition) (Discontinued) |
2009 | In 2009, the original "Game Fuel" flavor returned to shelves for 10 weeks under this name in connection with the World of Warcraft video game. The name and label design were updated to reflect the World of Warcraft theme. It was rereleased on October 2011 with updated packaging to promote the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and again in 2012 to promote Halo 4. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel
(World of Warcraft "Alliance Blue" Edition) (Discontinued) |
2009 | A blue-colored, wild fruit punch-flavored Mountain Dew flavor released alongside "Mountain Dew Game Fuel Horde Red" for a 10-week period in 2009. Like Horde Red, Alliance Blue was a promotional flavor for the MMORPG World of Warcraft. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Ultra Violet
(Discontinued) |
2009, 2011 | A lavender-colored, mixed berry-flavored Mountain Dew. It was originally available for three months in 2009; and was the first Mountain Dew flavor available exclusively in Diet. It was released on 3 August 2009 at a first taste party in Brooklyn, New York. This flavor returned for the "FanDEWmonium" promotion, but ultimately lost to Diet Mountain Dew Supernova, coming in sixth place and not making it into the final round. Its flavor is sometimes compared to that of "Revolution" due to their berry-themed flavoring. | ||
| Mountain Dew Throwback | 2009 – Present | A variation of Mountain Dew in the U.S. consisting of natural sugar in place of high fructose corn syrup, first released in a limited production run during the summer of 2009. Mountain Dew Throwback has since been re-released for brief periods (generally 8–12 weeks at a time), including a 2nd wave from December 2009 - February 2010 and a 3rd wave in Summer/Fall 2010. A fourth limited production run began in March 2011, lasting for a total of eight weeks before becoming a permanent addition. | ||
| Mountain Dew Cherry Fusion
(Discontinued) |
2009–2010 | A red-colored, cherry-flavored fountain drink only available at Wienerschnitzel restaurants in the Western United States. It has a stronger cherry flavor in comparison to Code Red. Because this flavor was removed from the official Wienerschnitzel online menu, it is presumed to be discontinued. | ||
| Mountain Dew Distortion
(Discontinued) |
2010 | A dark green-colored, lime-flavored Mountain Dew. Part of the second Mountain Dew "DEWmocracy: Collective Intelligence" promotion. It lost to Mountain Dew White Out and came in 3rd place with only 16% out of all votes. Due to its similarity in color to the original Mountain Dew, Distortion was packaged in a clear bottle with a black label (as opposed to the green-plastic bottle with a green label used in the original Mountain Dew) in an attempt to avoid confusion. A Diet Distortion was created for the FanDEWmonium promotion, which came in eighth place, not making it to the final round. | ||
| Mountain Dew Typhoon
(Discontinued) |
2010, 2011 | A red-orange-colored, strawberry-pineapple flavored Mountain Dew. Part of the second Mountain Dew "DEWmocracy: Collective Intelligence" promotion. It lost to Mountain Dew White Out and came in 2nd place with 40% of all votes. A Diet Typhoon was created for the FanDEWmonium promotion, which came in fifth place, not making it to the final round. It was announced on 15 April 2011 that Typhoon would return in May 2011 as part of the "Back by Popular DEWmand" promotion and it stayed on shelves in 2-Liter bottles exclusively at Walmart Supercenters through July. | ||
| Mountain Dew White Out | 2010 – Present | A white-colored, smooth citrus-flavored Mountain Dew. Part of the second Mountain Dew "DEWmocracy: Collective Intelligence" promotion. It was released in stores on 19 April as a limited edition flavor so that people could taste test which flavor they like best before voting. Voting ended on 14 June, and it was announced that White Out had won the campaign with 44% of the votes. It became a permanent flavor and was officially for sale on 4 October 2010 and was later released in Japan in 2012. A Diet White Out was created for the FanDEWmonium promotion, which came in third place, not making it to the final round. It has been available in slurpee form since January 2011. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Flare
(Discontinued) |
2011 | A deep yellow-colored, berry-citrus-flavored Diet Mountain Dew. Part of "FanDEWmonium" promotion series of flavors but it lost to Diet Mountain Dew Supernova and came in fourth place, not making it into the final round. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Crave
(Discontinued) |
2011 | A light green-colored, sweet and sour apple-flavored Diet Mountain Dew. Part of "FanDEWmonium" promotion series of flavors but it lost to Diet Mountain Dew Supernova, coming in seventh place and not making it to the final round. | ||
| Diet Mountain Dew Supernova | 2011, 2012 – Present | A magenta-colored, strawberry-melon-flavored Diet Mountain Dew with a "shot of ginseng" for flavor enhancement. This flavor began as one of the "FanDEWmonium" promotion series of flavors. Diet Supernova was released in U.S. stores alongside Diet Mountain Dew Voltage on 6 March 2011 for a duration of eight weeks as a limited edition diet flavor so that people could taste test which flavor they preferred before voting. It won FanDEWmonium with 55% out of all votes, and this flavor became a permanent addition to the Diet Mountain Dew flavor line-up. It will be returning to stores full-time in February according to a post on Diet Mountain Dew's Facebook on 16 January 2012. As of 1 February, the flavor has been spotted in stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel Cherry-Citrus
(Call of Duty: MW3 Edition) (Discontinued) |
2011 | The same red-orange-colored, cherry-citrus formula used for the original Halo 3 Game Fuel in 2007 that returned as "Game Fuel Horde Red" in 2009 for World of Warcraft. For its 2011 release, its packaging was redesigned to promote the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Though this drink's concept was leaked in early August 2011 by means of an eBay auction, it was officially announced on Mountain Dew Facebook page on 24 August 2011 and was officially released to US stores on 10 October that year and stayed on shelves until the end of 2011. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel Tropical
(Call of Duty: MW3 Edition) (Discontinued) |
2011 | A dark green-colored, Tropical-flavored Mountain Dew flavor to coincide with the release of the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Like its counterpart, its concept was leaked in early August 2011 by means of an eBay auction, and was officially announced on Mountain Dew Facebook page on 24 August 2011 and was officially released to US stores on 10 October that year and stayed on shelves until the end of 2011. It was originally tested by 500 Dew Labs members as a "Mystery" flavor, and was described by many to resemble the taste of "Baja Blast" and "Distortion". | ||
| Mountain Dew Dark Berry
(Discontinued) |
2012 | A limited-edition mixed-berry-flavored Mountain Dew that coincides with the film The Dark Knight Rises. It first gained popularity in late May when a 3-in-one photo of its 12-pack box design leaked on Instagram. On 14 March, Dark Berry was officially announced by the official Mountain Dew Facebook page. It's 8-week release period began on 18 June. | ||
| Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold | August 2012 | A new malt-flavored version of Mountain Dew, named after Johnson City, Tennessee, will be test-marketed starting in late August 2012 in the Chicago area, Denver, Colorado, and Charlotte, North Carolina. The new beverage will feature a malt flavor with a kick of lemon-lime. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel Cherry-Citrus (Halo 4 Edition) | 2012 | After Mountain Dew UK announced Game Fuel Energy would be coming to the UK and Ireland, a YouTube video showed a bottle of Cherry-Citrus Game Fuel in US packaging, showing that it might be returning for Halo 4 in the United States, which is also announced to have a promotion with Halo. On 1 October 2012, Mountain Dew posted a picture on their Facebook page, confirming that Game Fuel will be returning for Halo 4. | ||
| Dates of production | Notes | Picture | ||
| Mountain Dew Blue Shock | 2001 – Present | Berry-citrus flavored Mountain Dew. Blue Shock was initially test-marketed in Chicago in can and bottle formats, but sales did not meet expectations and as a result, it was released in 2002 in the U.S. exclusively in Slurpee form at 7-Eleven stores. As of 2011, it remains listed as a current flavor according to 7-Eleven. It was once available at select Marcus Theatres in Icee form. | ||
| Dew Fuel | 2002–2007 | A caffeinated version of Mountain Dew produced in Canada. Marketed as a natural health product and not as a soft drink, due to Health Canada regulations that only allow caffeine in 'dark-colored' varieties of soft drinks such as cola and root beer. Originally called "Mountain Dew Energy" until given its present name in 2006. In early 2007, Pepsi-QTG Canada cited that Dew Fuel is out of production. | ||
| Dew Fuel Sugar Free | 2002–2007 | No-calorie Dew Fuel. The caffeinated version of Diet Mountain Dew offered in Canada. Was originally called "Mountain Dew Energy Sugar-Free" until 2006. | ||
| Darth Dew | 2005 | A limited production tangy grape flavored Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor. It was available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode III. | ||
| Mountain Dew MDX | 2005–2007 | A Mountain Dew-flavored energy soda introduced in 2005 in 14-US-fluid-ounce (410 ml) bottles. In 2006 its packaging format was transitioned to 20-US-fluid-ounce (590 ml) bottles. Its production was discontinued in 2007. | ||
| Mountain Dew Pitch Black Freeze | 2006 | A re-release of Pitch Black in Slurpee form produced as a limited edition flavor during the 2006 Halloween season. | ||
| Mountain Dew Maximum Cream Slush | 2004–2008 | A frozen, no-sugar, no-carbonation fruit slush sold in participating 7-11 convenience stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew Arctic Burst | 2006 | A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is blue in color and said to taste like blueberry. The official name was "Arctic Burst". | ||
| Mountain Dew Kryptonite Ice | 2006 | A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is green in color and had a tropical, mango taste. | ||
| Sugar-Free Mountain Dew MDX | 2005–2006 | No-calorie Mountain Dew flavored energy soda which was short-lived, being discontinued one year after entering production in 2005. | ||
| Dew Iced | 2007–2008 | A Mountain Dew flavored smoothie that was available exclusively at Cold Stone Creamery stores in 2007 and 2008. | ||
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel (slurpee) | August 2007 | A red-orange colored, cherry citrus flavored slurpee that is available only at participating 7-11 convenience stores. Like the original version, it was introduced in August 2007 and was used to promote the Xbox 360 game "Halo 3". | ||
| Mountain Dew Blue Shock Freeze | 2008 – Present | A blueberry Slurpee flavor only available at 7-Eleven stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew Thin Ice Freeze | 2009 – Present | A blueberry-flavored Slurpee that is distributed only at 7-Eleven stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew X-treme | 2010 – Present | A Grape-flavored Mountain Dew similar to "Pitch Black". It was released in Kuwait during December 2010 and has so far made its way into Saudi Arabia. | ||
| Mountain Dew White Out Freeze | 2011 – Present | A smooth citrus, limited edition Slurpee flavor only available at 7-Eleven stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew Coolatta | 2011 | In 2011, Dunkin' Donuts announced a new Mountain Dew-flavored Coolatta, but it was discontinued later that year. | ||
| Mountain Dew Energy | 2010 – Present | A new line of Mountain Dew released in the UK in June 2010, originally in 500ml bottles, but as of February 2011 it has expanded to 440ml cans (Normal and sugar free) and 1 Litre bottles. Mountain Dew Energy was released in Ireland in April 2011. Produced in a lemon and lime flavor, it has a higher caffeine content as Mountain Dew sold in the U.S., at 18 mg per 100ml, versus 91 mg per 20 fl oz in the U.S. version (which is ~15.385 mg per 100ml). The UK version is produced with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup, as with most other soft drinks in the UK. Mountain Dew did initially launch in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 1996; however it was discontinued in 1998 due to low sales volumes at that time. Mountain Dew Energy has been designed specifically for periods of mental and physical exertion, just like the original Mountain Dew distributed in the US. The high (compared to regular soft drinks) level of caffeine and sugar gives much the same "boost" as other caffeine-heavy energy drinks, making the drink particularly popular with 16-24 year olds. The drink is produced by Britvic in the UK. The original Mountain Dew is only available in the UK either from eBay, Amazon, Selfridges or other specialist importers which usually sell the Original Mountain Dew imported from the USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia or Syria. | ||
| Mountain Dew Energy Game Fuel (Halo 4 Edition) | September 2012-December 2012 | A limited-edition raspberry-citrus flavor that will be released in the United Kingdom to promote the release of Halo 4, an upcoming Xbox 360 game. Though it shares its colouring of the Bottle with the American cherry-citrus Game Fuel (see table above), it is an entirely different flavour. | ||
| Sugar Free Mountain Dew Energy | 2011 present | A sugar-free version of Mountain Dew Energy, sold in the UK. Available in a 440ml can, priced at 99p on the packaging and is sold at Best One shops and cash and carries. | ||
| Adrenaline Mountain Dew | 2010 – Present | In August 2010, this new flavor was released to Poland. Much like previous attempts, Adrenaline is marketed as a Mountain Dew energy drink, and contains ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, guarana extract, ginseng, and vitamins B2 and B12. The drink is available in 250ml cans and in 500ml black-tinted bottles (similar to Mountain Dew Energy's green-tinted bottles). | ||
| Mountain Dew Grape | 2011 – Present | A deep purple-colored, Grape-flavored Mountain Dew. Since its introduction in mid-2011, it has only been available in Japan exclusively in Pepsi and Boss vending machines. It is only offered in 12 oz (340 g) cans and not available in stores in Japan. Its taste has often been compared to that of Grape flavored Jolly Rancher candies. | ||
| Mountain Dew Citrus Charge | 2012 | In March 2012 "Mountain Dew Citrus Charge" was released in Canada. It is essentially a caffeinated version of Mountain Dew, like what is sold in the United States, with a slightly lower caffeine content of 51 mg per serving. In March 2010, the ban was lifted on synthetic caffeine in non-cola beverages in Canada, which paved the way for the introduction of this addition to the Mountain Dew lineup. | ||
| Mountain Dew Energised | 2012 | In June 2012, Australia relaunched its Mountain Dew brand and added caffeine to it, like Canada's relaunch only a few months prior. It was first introduced to Australian KFC restaurants, and then spread to markets and convenient stores. | ||
| Mountain Dew Passionfruit Frenzy | 2012 | Passionfruit Frenzy is an upcoming Mountain Dew flavor variant released in New Zealand on 15 October 2012. Mountain Dew Passionfruit Frenzy will be a passion fruit-flavored drink, and will be golden-green in color. |
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Famous quotes containing the words flavors and/or varieties:
“Of all the flavors one eats, salt is indispensable; wherever one goes in the world, one’s mother is dearest.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
—Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.