22 Discontinued Mountain Dew Flavors You Might Never See Again

Mountain Dew has come a long way since it was first created in the hills of eastern Tennessee in the 1940s. After all, the soda was originally developed accidentally as a lemon-lime mixer intended for drinking with whiskey, even taking inspiration from a slang term for moonshine with its name. Upon its acquisition by Pepsi, the soda's sales increased rapidly, driven by the beverage conglomerate's marketing power and extensive distribution network. Over time, Mountain Dew evolved into the citrus-flavored soda with a signature neon green color that we're familiar with across the U.S. and beyond.

Now, like many successful beverage brands, Mountain Dew increasingly focused on developing new and limited-edition flavors as a key part of its marketing strategy to attract new audiences and demographics. This includes consumers from the video gaming community, hardcore Star Wars fans, holiday season consumers, and sports fans (among others). Many of these flavors have resulted in a cult following around the soda, as well, with the scarcity and exclusivity creating an ongoing appeal that's helped Mountain Dew maintain its popularity over many years.

Of course, with a brand strategy largely built around the introduction of new flavors, it's inevitable that at least some of these Mountain Dew flavors haven't stood the test of time. Keep learning to learn more about some of Mountain Dew's discontinued flavors, including information on each discontinued flavor and — where possible — the reason each was discontinued.

Dewshine was developed as a renewed nod to the moonshine inspiration of the original Mountain Dew. First sold in 12-ounce glass bottles and 25-ounce jugs, Dewshine included labelling to ensure potential customers knew it was non-alcoholic, thus avoiding confusion with actual moonshine or hard soda varieties.

Made with real sugar from sugar cane (which is different from granulated sugar) rather than the high fructose corn syrup, Dewshine also didn't include orange juice, which is one of the distinguishing ingredients in classic Mountain Dew. Additionally, it was the first Mountain Dew flavor to be clear in color.

Dewshine was something of a cult hit, but its popularity was short-lived: The flavor was launched in 2015, and while an official discontinuation date isn't clear, it appears to have been discontinued around February 2017 according to fans. The reason for discontinuing the flavor isn't confirmed, although it's possible the various legal battles around the nod to moonshine in the name contributed to its discontinuation.

Launched in April 2013, Sangrita Blast was a franchise-exclusive flavor available only at participating Taco Bell restaurants. Taco Bell's commitment to innovative marketing parterships like this are one of the many interesting facts about Taco Bell's business. The flavor was a spin-off from another Taco Bell franchise exclusive flavor: The hugely popular Baja Blast which celebrated it's 20th anniversary in 2024.

Maroon in color, Sangrita Blast was a cherry pomegranate flavor originally, though this later changed to a citrus punch (or something a bit more familiar to Mountain Dew fans). While it was also briefly available outside of Taco Bell locations in cans and bottles during 2015, it was eventually discontinued around 2017, according to fans. Additionally, Taco Bell launched the short-lived Mountain Dew Sangrita Blast Freeze, though this slurpee version of the Sangrita Blast flavor was soon replaced by Starburst Cherry Freeze.

Another franchise flavor, Cyclone was exclusively available at Speedway gas stations starting in March 2019. Cyclone had a maroon color and a citrus punch flavor — one that wasn't unlike the later version of Sangrita Blast. In fact, some even claimed that the recipes for both flavors were very similar. Though the specifics of its supposedly citrus flavor were unconfirmed, some reported the Mountain Dew flavor was reminiscent of pomegranate, passion fruit, and plum. Additionally, while some fans appeared to enjoy the new flavor, others were more critical. The Speedway exclusive option was eventually discontinued as a result, with Cyclone no longer found by 2022.

The runner up in 2010's DEWmocracy II promotional campaign, Typhoon lost out to another now-discontinued flavor in White Out (which we'll discuss mometarily). The flavor was one of Mountain Dew's tropical punch varieties, with a strawberry pineapple profile and pinkish-orange hue. Although it was only available for a few months initially, Typhoon made a brief return to shelves in 2011, before disappearing once again after several months.

Interestingly enough, the flavor became available once again over a decade after it was last sold. In June 2022, Mountain Dew briefly made 16-ounce cans of Typhoon available on its online Dew Store, though only Dew Nation HQ members appeared able to purchase it. While we may never see this Mountain Dew flavor again, leaks and rumors of another re-release have persisted through the years.

One of Mountain Dew's U.S.-themed flavors, DEW-S-A first launched in 2017. Doubling down on the patriotic concept, DEW-S-A was a mixture of three other Mountain Dew flavors which were colored red, white, and blue respectively: Code Red, White Out, and Voltage. As a result of the color mixing, DEW-S-A was a dark magenta color.

When DEW-S-A was first released, it was made with a half-diet formula of sorts, thanks to the partial substitution of the usual high-fructose corn syrup for artificial sweeteners. This initial version of DEW-S-A only lasted for summer 2017, before being replaced by other patriotic-centric. Despite its short initial run, DEW-S-A wasn't unpopular, leading some fans to campaign for its revival.

A re-release of the flavor was rumored to be coming in 2020 to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, but when that year's Olympics were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of DEW-S-A followed suit. Though it did eventually return for a short time in April 2021, this DEW-S-A was reformulated to remove the artificial sweeteners, becoming a full-sugar flavor with increased calories.

First launched under the name Liberty Brew in 2019, this Mountain Dew flavor was essentially the next iteration of DEW-S-A, as it featured a similar combination of Code Red, White Out, and Voltage. Though a mix of other Mountain Dew flavors, as well, Liberty Bell supposedly tasted like gummies or popsicles.

Liberty Brew was marketed as containing "50 Flavors in One" beverage. It made a reappearance the following summer for several months, before returning a third time in summer 2024. However, the flavor's name was updated to Liberty Chill for this release, possibly to avoid association with the alcoholic Hard Mountain Dew, which launched in 2022. Another release of Liberty Chill was purportedly planned for 2025. But seeing how the flavor has been criticized for being overly sweet and without a distinctive taste by some, it's unclear whether we'll see the former Liberty Brew again.

Launched in 2024 alongside two other All-American flavors — Freedom Fusion and Liberty Chill (formerly known as Liberty Brew) — Star Spangled Splash was a fairly short-lived Mountain Dew flavor. While it was red, with a supposedly raspberry-strawberry flavor profile, feedback about this one was generally negative. In fact, in Tasting Table's ranking of 11 Mountain Dew flavors, Star Spangled Splash placed among the least popular on the list. Though a 2025 re-release of Star Spangled Splash appeared to be on the horizon, this was scrapped (along with Liberty Chill and Freedom Fusion) — thankfully, perhaps, given the flavor's seeming unpopularity.

Another of the brand's U.S.-themed flavors launched in 2024, Freedom Fusion was off-white in color, and had a peach lemonade flavor. And as you may have guessed, Freedom Fusion's fate appears to be the same as its two counterparts, with no imminent plans for a return to stores. Then again, this Mountain Dew flavor may have been more well-received than the other patriotic flavors released in 2024. It was also released as a limited-time Slurpee flavor at 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores in 2024, as well, replacing the similar-sounding Peach Candy Lemonade Slurpee.

Part of 2008's original DEWmocracy promotion, Revolution was a Mountain Dew flavor with a striking sky blue color, and an unusual flavor combo of fruity wild berry and ginseng. Its taste and appearance led some to suggest its flavor was like a combination of White Out and Baja Blast.

Now, while Revolution made it to the third and final round of the DEWmocracy" campaign, it didn't win the promotional contest, so it didn't end up becoming a permanent Mountain Dew option. Despite not making the move to a permanent availability, Revolution made one brief final appearance in 2011. Mountain Dew's Throwback Shack promotion website offered a "secret stash" of Revolution as a daily prize, with the winner confirming they had indeed received a 12-bottle case of the flavor.

As implied by its name, Pitch Black II was the second incarnation of the original Pitch Black flavor, which was released in 2004. Pitch Black II launched in 2005 for a 90 day period coinciding with the Halloween season. Consequently, it featured a horror movie-inspired label design similar to the original Pitch Black.

Pitch Black II claimed to add a sour bite aftertaste to the grape flavor of the original Pitch Black, and retained the original's dark purple color. Despite apparent popularity, it never fully returned again (although the original Pitch Black did return for a time after winning 2016's DEWcision promotion).

One of the most specific concepts among Mountain Dew's many flavors, Darth Dew was a flavor only made available at participating 7-Eleven stores in the summer of 2005. A part of the promotion for the release of "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith," the flavor's release also coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Slurpee.

In that sense, Darth Dew was actually a Slurpee flavor. It had a similar black grape taste and black-purple color to Pitch Black. The drink was sold in limited edition Star Wars branded cups, each with lids shaped like the head of Darth Vader, and is unlikely to return in the future.

Somewhat unusually, this particular Mountain Dew flavor was launched internationally, hoping to gain an exclusive allure to the many Mountain Dew fans back in the United States. With that in mind, while the Middle East is more known for its delicious recipes and food culture than limited-time soda flavors, X-Treme was actually first released in Kuwait in December 2010, before later expanding to various countries across the region.

Despite its eye-catching name, the flavor wasn't particularly original. It was effectively a version of the Pitch Black flavor that had been renamed for non-U.S. markets. The label design is clearly reminiscent of Pitch Black and Pitch Black II's labels, after all. Interestingly, Mountain Dew X-Treme also appeared around 2017 in Honduras, though it featured different labelling and artwork, was raspberry flavored, and had a blue color. 

Rising up as the winner of 2010's DEWmocracy II promotion, White Out will be remembered as one of the more popular Mountain Dew flavors to be discontinued, remaining in production over a decade. Appropriately (given its name), White Out was white in color, with a smooth citrus flavor of yuzu lemongrass.

After winning the DEWmocracy II promotional vote, White Out remained a part of the Mountain Dew lineup for most of the 2010s. While it was partially discontinued as of 2020, some regional producers seemingly continued to bottle White Out up until 2023. However, the flavor was apparently discontinued permanently after that, and remains gone as of this writing.

Throwback first appeared on shelves in April 2009 with a retro-reincarnation of Mountain Dew's original branding. In contrast to many of Mountain Dew's more adventurous flavor experiments, Throwback was a citrus flavor close to the original Mountain Dew. However, it notably replaced the typical high fructose corn syrup with real sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets.

Mountain Dew Throwback's popularity continued for several years, driven by the increased public interest in drinks containing real sugar (as opposed to high fructose corn syrup). Highlighting this aspect more directly, Mountain Dew eventually rebranded Throwback as Mountain Dew Real Sugar in November 2019, though this didn't last very long. Despite limited regional availability in 2020, this flavor was finally discontinued as of February 2024.

Losing out to White Out in the 2010 DEWmocracy II promotion, Distortion was green in color, and had a lime flavor. If that sounds familiar, you're not the only person thinking that: Distortion was remarkably similar to classic Mountain Dew except for a more sharp and pronounced lime taste (evidently). Unsurprisingly, plenty of customers made note of these similarities, perhaps offering the clearest reason why Distortion lost the contest where it first appeared.

Since it lost the vote, Distortion was discontinued ... though that isn't the end of this flavor's story. Later in 2010, Mountain Dew announced a FanDEWmonium" promotion, which included Diet Distortion in a lineup of eight diet flavors competing to become permanent flavors. Distortion performed badly again, though, finishing in last place. Somewhat unexpectedly, Distortion appeared once more in 2013 as a Freeze version at participating Taco Bell locations, but it was discontinued the following year.

As its name suggests, Diet Supernova was a diet version of the Supernova flavor that first appeared in 2008 as part of the DEWmocracy promotion. Both Supernova and Diet Supernova are strawberry-melon in flavor, with a bright magenta color.

While Distortion lost out in the 2010 FanDEWmonium competition, another diet flavor, Diet Supernova, won with more than half the total vote, and was released as a permanent Mountain Dew flavor in March of 2011. At least, it was supposed to be permanent ... before low sales prevented the flavor from becoming a long term fixture in the Mountain Dew roster. Diet Supernova remained sporadically available into 2012, but according to Mountain Dew, it was no longer being produced as of by October 2012.

There are various holiday-themed flavors which have seen temporary releases, but the first of these was Holiday Brew. It was released for a limited time, available only in November and December of 2017.

Holiday Brew was a blend of pre-existing flavors. It was made up of 40% Original Dew and 60% Code Red, lending it a festive red color. It was discontinued after the holiday season ended that year, and was replaced by future holiday-themed flavors in the following years.

Following Holiday Brew's 2017 appearance, it was Merry Mash-Up's turn to take the reins as a limited-time Mountain Dew flavor offered for the 2018 holiday season. Colored red, just like its predecessor, Merry Mash-Up had a cranberry and pomegranate flavor.

Merry Mash-Up did a little better than its predecessor, reappearing in 2019 and 2020's holiday seasons, again as a limited release. Reportedly, the cranberry flavor was dominant in 2019, but this was adjusted for a more balanced taste in 2020.

The brand's holiday flavor dynasty continued in 2021 with its Gingerbread Snap'D option. This Mountain Dew flavor only appeared for that year's holiday season, meaning it was solely available in November and December.

True to its name, Gingerbread Snap'D was gingerbread flavor, a nod to the winter tradition of making gingerbread cookies. Incidentally, if you're looking to up your gingerbread making game here's a list of ingredients that'll help you elevate your gingerbread. Though in testing the color of Gingerbread Snap'D was brown, this was changed by the time it was released in stores, when it became a more appetizing white hue.

Another festive flavor to come from Mountain Dew was Fruit Quake, which appeared during the 2022 holiday season. A play on words referencing fruit cake, Fruit Quake represents a modern addition to the storied history of fruit cake, and the it was indeed fruit cake in flavor, and was a deep red color. If the idea to combine Mountain Dew with fruit cake seems weird to you, you're not alone: some reported it as just plain wrong, while others noted it seemed to taste like cranberry mixed with festive spices. Fruit Quake was the last of the holiday themed flavors, which were discontinued after 2022.

Technically not festive — though still autumnal — Mountain Dew's Thrashed Apple flavor was released in September 2021. It was available exclusively at Kroger stores (along with other Kroger-owned grocery chains). The light green-colored beverage featured a crisp apple flavor, and gained popularity amongst fans for its bold apple flavor.

Interestingly enough, despite a seemingly positive customer response, the flavor appeared to be in the process of being discontinued in 2022 due to low popularity. While a public outcry from fans led Mountain Dew to initially reverse its decision to discontinue the flavor, it's luck wasn't to last, and Thrashed Apple hasn't been sighted in Kroger stores since 2024.

Rather than a single flavor, Mountain Dew's Label Series was a series of three distinct flavors within the shared concept. First released in January 2017 and marketed as a more complex and premium Mountain Dew offering. More than that, the Label Series flavors featured real sugar and herbal bitters.

Green Label was green in color, with a flavor that combined green apple and kiwi. White Label was a tropical pineapple-kiwi flavor and was white-colored, while the Black Label was a dark berry punch flavor with a red-purple magenta color.

Due to the strong popularity of these limited releases, all three were made permanent flavors in March 2017. However, the popularity was short-lived, and each flavor from Mountain Dew's Label Series appears to have been gradually discontinued in the following years – to the dismay of any remaining fans.