Voting ended on June 14, and White Out won the campaign with 44% of the votes. The drink has seen reoccurring, seasonal retail releases from 2018 onwards.Īlso available in zero sugar, introduced in 2019.Ī smooth citrus variant part of the "DEWmocracy: Collective Intelligence" promotion with a limited release starting on April 19, 2010. In 2016, the flavor was re-released for the "DEWcision" contest for a limited time, where it lost to Pitch Black.
In April 2015, Baja Blast released in retail stores for a limited time, accompanied by an in-store release of sister flavor Sangrita Blast. On May 5, 2014, Baja Blast received a limited release in stores by popular demand.
In 2020, Mountain Dew Throwback was rebranded as Mountain Dew Real Sugar, with a new design using the 1980s Mountain Dew logo, with the words "Real Sugar" in a similar font.Ģ004–present (fountain, exclusive to Taco Bell) 2014-2016, 2018-2022 (retail, limited time release)Ī tropical lime variant introduced in 2004 exclusively as a fountain drink at Taco Bell restaurants. A fourth limited production run began in March 2011, lasting for eight weeks, before it became a permanent addition. It was initially 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. “And like our world-famous fried chicken, Sweet Lightning will keep fans coming back for more.”Īpparently, a lot of effort went into delivering the goods on this highly-anticipated partnership, so even though we’re living in a world where limited-time offerings reign, MTN DEW says that Sweet Lightning will be a permanent addition to KFC locations nationwide.A variant without sugar or caffeine, available in parts of the United States.Ī variant containing natural sugar in place of high-fructose corn syrup released during mid-2009 under the name Mountain Dew Throwback. “With the addition of Sweet Lightning, we now have a drink that is as unique to KFC as the Colonel's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices,” Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer for KFC U.S., said in the announcement. Set to arrive on July 1, MTN DEW Sweet Lightning is billed as “the first exclusive beverage to be offered at KFC” and only the second time the Dew has partnered with a fast food company, “the first being the hugely successful Baja Blast which debuted at KFC's sister restaurant, Taco Bell, nearly a decade-and-a-half ago.”Īnd though I joked about pairings up top, Mountain Dew isn’t kidding when they say that Sweet Lighting was developed with the help of the KFC team “to create the perfect pairing for KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken.” The result is a golden-hued soda “with a punch of peach and a touch of honey flavors,” ostensibly a crisp and sweet counterpoint to deep-fried batter. Today, Mountain Dew has announced it will be debuting a new flavor exclusively at KFC next month, and it’s specifically designed to complement the Colonel’s chicken.
But the two have never partnered together: That is, until now. At one point, both brands were even owned by the same company, PepsiCo.
Both KFC and MTN DEW like shortening their names into groups of three capitalized letters. They both target and appeal to a similar demographic. But in the fast food world, it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken and Mountain Dew. In the fine dining world, a perfect pairing might be Reblochon tarts with bacon and fingerling potatoes matched with a 2005 Logan Pinot Noir.