If you walked into a gas station between 2016 and 2019, you probably remember the can. It didn't look like a normal soda. While the classic neon green bottle screamed "extreme sports" and "video games," Mtn Dew Black Label sat there in a sleek, matte black 16-ounce tallboy. It felt fancy. It felt like something you’d drink if you were trying to be a "gentleman," or at least a teenager's version of one.
Then, it just vanished.
Most people didn't even notice at first. They went to the cooler, reached for that dark berry goodness, and found a void where the "boldly refined" Dew used to live.
The Mystery of the Crafted Dark Berry
Honestly, Black Label was a bit of an anomaly for PepsiCo. It wasn't just another fruit-flavored sugar rush. They marketed it as a "crafted" soda, which is basically corporate-speak for "we put more effort into the ingredients so we can charge you two bucks for a single can."
What was actually in it?
It had real sugar. That’s the big one. Most Dew is pumped full of high-fructose corn syrup, but Black Label used the real stuff. It also featured "herbal bitters" and a "dark berry" flavor profile. If you ever tasted it, you know it wasn't just grape. It was deeper. It had this weirdly smooth, almost sophisticated finish that felt more like a mocktail than a soft drink.
The caffeine content was also a bit punchier. At 83mg per 16-ounce can, it sat right in that sweet spot between a standard soda and a full-blown energy drink.
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Why did it launch on college campuses?
Back in late 2015, PepsiCo did something pretty smart. They didn't just dump the drink into every Walmart in the country. They seeded it at 600 colleges and universities first.
They wanted to create a "vibe."
By the time it went nationwide in 2016, there was already this weird underground hype about it. It was the "sophisticated" Dew for the 20-something crowd who grew up on the original stuff but wanted something that didn't look quite so childish on their desk.
The Label Series: A Short-Lived Dynasty
Black Label wasn't alone for long. Because it did decently well early on, we got the "Label Series."
- Mtn Dew White Label: A mysterious "citrus" flavor that mostly tasted like spiked lemonade without the alcohol.
- Mtn Dew Green Label: A "green apple kiwi" blend that was actually surprisingly refreshing.
But neither of them had the soul of the original black can. They felt like sequels that didn't quite understand why the first movie worked. While Black Label felt moody and interesting, the others just felt like... well, more soda.
So, Why Was Mtn Dew Black Label Discontinued?
The short answer? Money. It always is.
By 2019, the sales just weren't there anymore. Despite a cult following that would basically do anything for a cold can, the general public didn't quite "get" the concept of a refined Mountain Dew.
People buy Dew for the hit of citrus and the neon glow. When you take that away and replace it with matte black packaging and herbal bitters, you’re playing a dangerous game with your brand identity. PepsiCo realized they were spending more on the "crafted" ingredients and the premium packaging than they were making back in volume.
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By the end of 2019, Mtn Dew Black Label was officially axed.
The Pitch Black Confusion
A lot of fans get Black Label confused with Pitch Black. I get it. They both have "black" in the name and they both look purple in a glass.
But they aren't the same. Not even close.
Pitch Black is a straight-up "dark citrus" (mostly grape) soda with that classic syrup heavy-handedness. Black Label was more of a berry-herbal hybrid. If Pitch Black is the loud kid at the party, Black Label was the guy sitting in the corner wearing a cardigan and pretending to read a book.
Is it ever coming back?
The million-dollar question. As of 2026, there are no official plans from PepsiCo to bring back the Label Series.
The "Dew Nation" is pretty vocal, though. If you spend five minutes on the Mountain Dew subreddit, you’ll see people practically begging for a re-release. We've seen Pitch Black come and go (and come back again in fountains), so there's always a glimmer of hope.
But for now, Black Label remains a ghost.
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If you're looking for that specific hit of dark berry and real sugar, you’re basically out of luck unless you want to pay $50 for a dusty, expired can on eBay. (Don't do that. Seriously.)
Actionable Steps for the Displaced Dew Fan
If you’re still mourning the loss of this specific flavor, here’s how you can actually fill that void:
- Try Mountain Dew Legend: If you can find a Buffalo Wild Wings, this fountain-exclusive flavor is probably the closest thing to the Black Label vibe left on the market. It’s got that blackberry-citrus-ginger kick.
- Mix your own: It sounds crazy, but mixing regular Mtn Dew with a splash of high-quality blackberry syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters gets you surprisingly close to the "crafted" taste of the original.
- Watch the "Dew Store": PepsiCo occasionally drops limited-run "vault" flavors on their official online store. If Black Label ever returns, it'll likely start there as a limited-time offer.
The era of the "boldly refined" soda might be over for now, but the legend of that matte black can isn't going anywhere. It was a weird experiment that probably shouldn't have worked, but for a few years, it was the coolest thing in the soda aisle.
Keep an eye on regional releases. Sometimes these "discontinued" flavors have a habit of popping up in international markets or as store-specific exclusives when we least expect it.