You walk into your local convenience store, head straight to the soda cooler, and suddenly, your go-to Mountain Dew flavor is nowhere to be found. Before you start questioning your eyesight or the store’s inventory management, let’s cut to the chase: PepsiCo has discontinued nine Mountain Dew flavors, and they didn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops.
Per industry reports, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Luis Laguarta wasn’t exactly cryptic about the company’s strategy during their recent earnings call. They’re ‘narrowing focus and cutting flavors that haven’t sold well while doubling down on what actually makes money‘ – classic colas and no-sugar variants. But here’s the thing about corporate beverage giants – they don’t send out press releases when they’re killing off your favorite drink. They just… stop making it. Sneaky? Maybe. Business as usual? Absolutely.
This isn’t just a Mountain Dew problem, either. PepsiCo also axed several Bubly sparkling water flavors and multiple Gatorade varieties in the same purge.
Which gets us to our next point: If any of these flavors were your ride-or-die, now’s the time to stock up. When PepsiCo marks something as “limited time left” on their product locator, they’ve already stopped manufacturing it. What you see in stores now is essentially leftover inventory working its way through the system.
The beverage industry is brutal like that. One day you’re someone’s favorite flavor, the next day you’re a discontinued footnote. But hey, at least we’ll always have the memories – and probably a few unopened cans collecting dust in someone’s garage, waiting to become vintage collectibles on eBay in about twenty years.
So, which flavors are now officially history? Here is the full list of the fallen:
Mtn Dew Caffeine Free
Let’s start with the most tragically ironic discontinuation: Mtn Dew Caffeine Free. This was the flavor for people who wanted that distinctive Mountain Dew taste without the jitters at 2 AM. Think about it – this was the responsible adult’s Mountain Dew, the one you could crack open during a Netflix binge without worrying about staring at the ceiling until sunrise.
Launched back when PepsiCo actually understood that not everyone wanted to be wired 24/7, Caffeine Free Mountain Dew served a specific demographic: shift workers who needed a soda fix during off hours, parents who didn’t want to explain to their kids why they couldn’t sleep, and anyone dealing with caffeine sensitivity who still wanted in on the Dew experience.
This flavor was actually discontinued around 2022, with only a regional Diet Caffeine Free variant surviving in select markets. PepsiCo’s current “limited time left” designation appears to be the final curtain call for any remaining inventory of the original caffeine-free formula.
The real kicker? In an era where wellness trends and mindful consumption are supposedly driving beverage innovation, they’re killing off the one variety that actually catered to health-conscious consumers.
Mtn Dew White Out
Mtn Dew White Out has one hell of a story behind it. This smooth citrus blend earned its spot through the DEWmocracy 2 campaign back in 2010, where fans actually voted it into existence. Originally known as “Flavor #493,” White Out beat other contenders in what was essentially American Idol for soda flavors.
The flavor profile is described as “smooth citrus,” delivering Mountain Dew’s signature kick without the aggressive punch of the original. Think of it as Mountain Dew’s answer to a sophisticated palate – still recognizably Dew, but with more nuance.
White Out survived longer than most limited-time flavors, sticking around in various regions for over a decade. However, the flavor’s availability gradually shrank to only certain Midwest areas (produced by independent PepsiCo bottlers) before disappearing in 2023. Some fans have still been holding out hope for a comeback (Mountain Dew teasing a potential comeback on Instagram did not help matters), but now that PepsiCo has quietly marked it as discontinued, it’s gone for good.
Mtn Dew Kickstart: Energizing Mango Lime
Mtn Dew Kickstart: Energizing Mango Lime was part of Mountain Dew’s ambitious attempt to bridge the gap between soda and energy drinks. It combined Dew flavor with real fruit juice and just enough caffeine to get you moving without the jittery crash associated with traditional energy drinks. Mango Lime specifically offered this exotic, summery taste that felt like a mini-vacation in a can.
The flavor had that perfect balance of sweet mango and zesty lime that could make even the dreariest Monday morning feel tropical. Although this flavor was actually discontinued in 2021, PepsiCo is now officially marking it as “limited time left,” meaning any remaining warehouse stock or retailer inventory is about to disappear for good.
What’s particularly frustrating about losing Mango Lime is that it represented Mountain Dew’s ability to innovate beyond its traditional boundaries. It was proof that the brand could evolve and attract new audiences without abandoning what made it special, yet here we are.
Mtn Dew Kickstart: Energizing Original Dew
Wait, they’re discontinuing the original flavor of their energy drink line? That’s like Coca-Cola discontinuing Classic Coke. Mtn Dew Kickstart: Original Dew was the logical evolution of the classic Mountain Dew formula – take everything people loved about the original and give it just enough extra oomph for the modern world. It was like Mountain Dew’s attempt to compete with Red Bull and Monster without completely abandoning its soda roots.
The genius of Original Dew Kickstart was its familiarity. You weren’t asking people to accept some weird new flavor profile – you were giving them the Mountain Dew they already knew and loved, just with a functional energy boost. It contained 90mg of caffeine (compared to original Dew’s 54mg) plus real fruit juice, making it technically a more genteel beverage than its predecessor.
This flavor resonated with a specific generation of consumers – individuals who grew up on Mountain Dew but now sought something with a little more kick to handle adult responsibilities. Original Dew was another victim of the 2021 Kickstart line purge and now faces the same fate as Mango Lime — any remaining stock is officially marked for elimination.
Mtn Dew Kickstart: Energizing Blueberry Pomegranate
Mtn Dew Kickstart: Energizing Blueberry Pomegranate was Mountain Dew’s attempt to ride the superfruit wave that dominated the 2010s. The flavor had this deep, rich taste that felt more grown-up than typical Mountain Dew offerings. The blueberry provided sweetness and familiarity, while the pomegranate added this tart, refined edge. It was the kind of flavor that made you feel like you were making a healthier choice, even if you were still drinking soda.
What made this flavor particularly appealing was its health associations. This was peak “superfruit” marketing, when everyone was talking about the health benefits of blueberries and pomegranates. Mountain Dew was smart to capitalize on this trend, creating a flavor that felt both indulgent and virtuous.
Unfortunately, Blueberry Pomegranate rounds out the trio of Kickstart flavors that got axed in 2021, joining Mango Lime and Original Dew in PepsiCo’s current inventory clearance. The discontinuation of this health-forward flavor feels especially shortsighted given today’s focus on functional beverages.
Mtn Dew Major Melon
Mtn Dew Major Melon was supposed to be a game-changer. Launched on January 4, 2021, this watermelon-flavored variant was Mountain Dew’s first new permanent flavor in over a decade. The flavor itself was bold and unapologetic – a candy-sweet watermelon taste that leaned into artificial flavoring rather than attempting to replicate the actual taste of watermelon. It had a distinctive pink color that made it instantly recognizable, and you either loved it immediately or wondered what Mountain Dew was thinking.
The real gut-punch of this discontinuation is Major Melon’s cult following. Social media was full of people genuinely excited about it, sharing photos of their pink Dew stashes, creating hashtags, the whole nine yards. It developed the kind of passionate fanbase that most brands would kill for.
The fact that it is being discontinued after less than four years suggests that Mountain Dew might have unrealistic expectations for what constitutes success. Building a new permanent flavor takes time – you need to let people discover it, develop loyalty, and integrate it into their routine. Four years barely scratches the surface of that process.
Mtn Dew Zero Sugar Major Melon
If regular Major Melon couldn’t hack it, the zero-sugar version was always going to be living on borrowed time. It’s rough when even the diet version of your discontinued flavor gets discontinued. That’s like getting fired from a job you were already planning to quit.
What made Zero Sugar Major Melon special was that it didn’t taste like a compromise. Too many diet sodas feel like you’re settling for a lesser version of what you actually want. This flavor delivered the full Major Melon experience without the added guilt, which should have made it a permanent fixture in the lineup. The zero-sugar formulation retained all the bold watermelon flavor of regular Major Melon while attracting fans who craved soda without the sugar crash.
Mtn Dew Spark
Mtn Dew Spark started as a Speedway exclusive in 2020 and 2021 before going national in 2022. The flavor profile was pitch-perfect – tangy raspberry balanced with smooth lemonade, creating something that felt both familiar and exotic. It was the kind of thing you could serve at a barbecue without apologizing.
Spark showed us that Mountain Dew was evolving beyond its usual demographic, and the fact that it wasn’t just a flavor for gamers and energy drink enthusiasts but something that could appeal to people who normally wouldn’t touch Mountain Dew.
The fact that Spark started as a regional exclusive and earned its way to national distribution should tell you everything about its potential. When a flavor performs well enough at Speedway to justify broader release, that’s not an accident – that’s market validation. PepsiCo just chose to ignore it.
Mtn Dew Zero Sugar Spark
And here we go again with the zero-sugar companion getting the axe alongside its regular counterpart. At this point, it’s starting to feel like PepsiCo is Marie Kondo-ing their entire beverage lineup. This was raspberry lemonade perfection without the sugar crash, the kind of drink you could enjoy all day without feeling like you were sabotaging your health goals.
The zero-sugar version maintained the delicate balance of raspberry and lemonade that made the original so appealing. Unlike many diet sodas that taste medicinal or overly artificial, Zero Sugar Spark felt like a premium beverage. It was refreshing, upscale, and actually tasted like something you’d order at a restaurant.
This discontinuation stings because Zero Sugar Spark solved multiple problems simultaneously. It gave calorie-wary consumers a Mountain Dew option they could feel good about, it provided a sophisticated flavor profile that could compete with premium sodas, and it offered all the refreshment of regular Spark without the calories.