REVIEW: Mtn Dew Ice

Mtn Dew Ice

The whole “translucent soda” thing isn’t exactly the freshest idea. Nor is it exactly a novel turn for the Mountain Dew brand, which already went clear in 2015 with the limited time only DEWShine. Which, by the way, is still being sold in convenience stores down here in Atlanta, despite the product allegedly being discontinued over a year ago.

Alas, this newfangled Mtn Dew Ice isn’t exactly the same old same old. It’s an all-new Mountain Dew variation that boasts of a lemon-lime flavor and (direct quote, right off the label) “a splash of real juice.” Or, as the ingredients list puts it, “clarified lemon juice concentrate,” which I suppose is accurate enough to keep the F.D.A. off their heels.

So obviously, Mtn Dew Ice is an attempt to cut into Sprite’s customer base (apparently, Mist Twist hasn’t been up to the task). And at first taste, I’m not sure how to describe the product. After a couple of preliminary swigs, I reckoned the stuff tasted like regular Dew, albeit a little thinner and slightly less sugary. By the time I got halfway through the bottle, though, I started to pick up that advertised “lemon-lime flavor” – which, yes, is pretty much a dead ringer for the aforementioned Mist Twist.

Mtn Dew Ice 2

What we’ve ended up with is a beverage with a serious identity crisis. It’s probably a bit of a stretch to say Mtn Dew Ice is basically the merger of Mountain Dew with Mist Twist, but it’s still close enough to get the gustatory point across. Instead of giving us a more Sprite-like Mountain Dew variation, Pepsi has bestowed upon us a beverage that tastes like it’s a 50/50 split between the two.

Even weirder, it’s like the two dueling tastes refuse to gel with one another. Sometimes when I take a sip, there’s a more pronounced Mountain Dew vibe and with others I swear I took a gulp of Sprite.

There’s been some caustic feedback about the product’s artificial sweeteners, but to be honest I didn’t notice anything out of the norm. While, again, it does taste slightly less sweet than normal Mountain Dew, it’s significantly sweeter than Sprite. So if that’s a turnoff for you, don’t say you weren’t warned.

Mtn Dew Ice 3

Aesthetically, there isn’t much to look at – you know, because the soda itself is the same color as Crystal Pepsi, Tab Clear, and any of the Zevia cola offerings. The packaging isn’t all that impressive either – a light green palette with a few swatches of black and yellow here and there. But the canned iteration of the drink looks a bit snazzier.

While fairly predictable (if not flat-out boring) in taste and presentation, Mtn Dew Ice is a good (but not great) soft drink. Outside of the whole “it’s a caffeinated version of Sprite” hook, I’m afraid there isn’t much worth going out of your way to experience here.

(Nutrition Facts – 20 ounces – 160 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of total carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $1.49
Size: 20 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: It’s a decent citrus-flavored cola with an all right caffeine kick. The hybrid Mountain Dew/Mist Twist taste is definitely intriguing. I guess it won’t stain the carpet as badly if you spill it?
Cons: The competing flavors never really come together all that harmoniously. The packaging is lame. Wondering if Pepsi meant for it to subconsciously remind consumers of Smirnoff Ice or if it’s just me?

29 thoughts to “REVIEW: Mtn Dew Ice”

  1. I found it underwhelming. Sweetener choice was a disappointment. I’ll stick with their fancier Dews. I miss straight-up Throwback.

  2. It’s pretty good, especially if you want a caffeinated version of sprite. It’s way better than Twist Mist. It’s also better in a can and better if you’re not focused on packaging while you’re drinking it.

    1. Twist Mist is like a watered down version of a cheap generic lime soda! I’m not sure why it’s still around.

  3. I didn’t get the Mt.Dew flavor at all. I thought it tasted like a club soda with some lemon flavoring and a bunch of sugar. I couldn’t pick out any of the lime flavor, but the lemon definitely stands out. If you’re comparing it to the other Dew flavors, I think its closer to DewShine but with more carbonation. 6/10 is a good score though. Some sips I would be like “yeah, this is pretty good” and then I’d go back and it would be like “Wait, is this the same soda?”.

  4. im a firm believer that if they dont stop using the artificial sweetener they are going to start losing customers. i dont understand how those who say “they cant taste” can actually say that. it doesnt matter how little they use, the taste is too overpowering. pepsi has ruined the majority of their “limited” releases due to this.

    1. Oh yeah, I didn’t read the label closely enough before buying this. It has 41 grams of sugar in a bottle but it uses sucralose? If I had known I never would have picked it up because not only does it have a wonky aftertaste it gave me an immediate headache (as all artificial sweeteners do).

      Why put an artificial sweetener if you are just going to use corn syrup anyway? I regret buying this and I never will again. I already hate Mtn. Dew products anyway so I don’t know why I thought this would be different.

      1. Please do not even wqste ur time with this product it eill be discontinued within months cause once everyone seen they just wasted there hard earn money on bascially a weak sprite i brought a 50cent can im glad i didnt buy a huge size cause i didnt even finish the can as it was just nasty to me definitely just seem like u drinking a weak watered down sprite i rather just drink water how horrible it was EPIC FAIL save ur money people

  5. I guess 7up wouldn’t be happy because I went to the store to initially pick up a 12-pack of 7UP, which by the way is my preferred soft drink of choice, but saw the new Mountain Dew ice on sale for $3.50 for the 12 pack and I decided to put the 7Up 12-pack down and give it a shot. I haven’t cracked one open yet and give a whirl, as I’d rather try it cold and then room temperature. So let the countdown clock begin till I give it a whirl I’ll be back on here to give it another review after I give my taste bud palettes the tests. Sorry 7Up if you’re reading this I didn’t mean to break your heart, I’ll be back one day as I’m sure this one won’t last long.

  6. I do not drink pop very often. When I do, I typically choose to consume “fountain-pop”; either Pepsi or Sprite. Pepsi products are definitely my preferred choice. That being said, there is unfortunately no quality PepsiCo equivalent of Sprite that has persuaded me to leave this delicious, carbonated, lemon-lime delight in the dust. (Sierra Mist is FAR from equivalent to Sprite, so I am not even going to consider it as viable competitor to Sprite.)

    While shopping for pop for my boyfriend, I noticed that a 12-pack of pop cans were on sale for $2.99. This sale was enough to persuade me to give this all new “Mountain Dew ICE Lemon Lime” a try to see if it could officially take the place of Sprite in my heart. Why buy a 12-pack if I have never tried this before? What if you don’t like it? Well, go big or go home.

    Once home I refrigerated the cans to get them to the optimal temperature for consumption. A couple hours later, with friends and family around, it was the moment of truth. I cracked open a can of “Mountain Dew ICE Lemon Lime” and took a swig, tasting the flavors. I looked around the room and shook my head. This product does not match up to the carbonated lemon lime delight that is Sprite.

    For starters, this “Mountain Dew ICE” tastes like a half diet pop and does contain artificial sweeteners. On the plus side, these artificial sweeteners make one can of this beverage only cost you 100 calories from your daily diet. I am personally not a fan of artificial sweeteners and do not like the taste or after taste of diet pop, so this would count as STRIKE ONE agains the new Dew. Continuing on, I gave the Dew another chance with a second swig. Although a lemon lime flavor exists, PepsiCo just didn’t add enough. The flavor seems to exist most strongly at the bottom of the can. STRIKE TWO. Although it does not replace Sprite in my heart, I do not “hate” this new beverage by any means.

    I will probably drink the remainder of the cans I purchased, but I will not be purchasing this new version of Dew again in the future. I will stick to Sprite from here on out until PepsiCo comes out with their next big “lemon lime beverage”.

    **NOTE, this new Dew does have caffeine in it, unlike Sprite and other similar lemon lime pops. Just something to be aware of if you’re not a huge caffeine drinker**

  7. It’s gross, tastes like a caffeinated diet Sprite with all the calories of a non diet soda. They should let consumers know that there are artificial sweeteners in it. Not only does the ACE-K and the sucralose make Dew Ice taste like butt, but they also give me headaches. Way to fail Pepsico!

  8. I love the new Mt.Dew Ice!!! The flavor is awesome and it is more carbonated then Sprite and does not go flat as fast as Sprite, also more flavor than Sprite or 7Up!! I hope they continue to keep making this because it is my favorite soda to date!!!

  9. I had one of your mountain dew ice have been a diet coke guy every sense they started making it I bought two bottles if you could make it in diet and taste like that I would be a changed man crisp clear taste great and I have been a die hard coke man my whole life and I am 57

  10. This stuff is just foul. I can’t imagine why anyone would think using HFCS plus two different artificial sweeteners was a good idea. It had potential but the aftertaste ruins the whole experience.

  11. I just had my first tonight. Odd choice, since I really don’t like Mtn Dew products. But this was much better than the original, and exponentially better than Mist Twst.

    I still prefer the final Sierra Mist, though.

    And above all that, bottled watter.

  12. I think it’s pretty good. But I need diet. I am a diabetic and need to watch my sugar intake. PLEASE MAKE DIET.

  13. Tastes like a watered down Mtn dew with Mellow yellow and artificial sugar. 1/10

  14. i thought this was the weakest flavor ive ever tasted, would have much rather they brought back baja blast(my personal favorite) honestly couldn’t even taste the mountain dew flavor no matter how i tried to taste it, tasted just like generic sprite, also isn’t mountain dew already citrus flavored soda?

  15. I work for Pepsi and can say this product is an epic fail. I can barely sell this at my stores and the company had ridiculous expectations for it. I agree with the reviewer about the terrible design and bland taste. I stopped ordering this disaster of a product all together. At least Baja blast is coming back soon, something that actually sells.

  16. I love it, all the caffeine and less sugar and calories than Mountain Dew? Sign me up! Drinking one right now!

  17. This stuff is terrible. Sodas with both sugar (whether sucrose or HFCS) and artificial sweeteners don’t work. Someone who wants a diet soda obviously doesn’t want sugars, while someone who doesn’t want a diet has their soda ruined by the aftertaste caused by the artificial sweeteners. No wonder that, according to reports, despite the high-profile launch, this stuff isn’t selling. And that would explain why Sierra Mist has been quietly returned to its proper name with a label touting that it’s made with real sugar. Pepsi still wants a successful lemon-lime soda in the US, but have never had much luck, dating back to the Teem days. I’m sure they curse the fact they only have the rights to 7Up outside North America.

  18. I like it. It’s a bit more entertaining than sprite and it’s got that caffeine kick.

  19. Utterly terrible. 0/10.

    I basically wanted a Sprite with caffeine, so I tried it… Ugh… Instant regret by the second sip.

    The label of “Mountain Dew Ice” does not clearly indicate the presence of Acesulfame K and Sucralose.

    I go out of my way not to drink diet soda, because artificial sweeteners are disgusting.

    I don’t normally drink Mountain Dew products, and I will be studiously avoiding them after this experience.

    PepsiCo really needs to get their shit together.

  20. Best Soda EVER! It’s like Sprite with a kick! I hope they never stop making this stuff!

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