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Source: Mountain Dew

Hard Mtn Dew made its US debut last year with a 5% abv

Mountain Dew looks set to bring its boozy spin-off Hard Mtn Dew to the UK.

It has applied to register the name with the Intellectual Property Office under classes 32 and 33, covering alcoholic drinks.

The “bold, citrus“ malt-based drink made its US debut in February 2022 with an abv of 5% and zero sugar.

It is the result of a partnership between Mountain Dew owner PepsiCo and the Boston Beer Company, with Original, Baja Blast, Black Cherry and Watermelon comprising the original lineup. It was joined last month by orange-flavoured Livewire, after Black Cherry was discontinued. All current variants are available in 12oz (355ml) and 22oz (651ml) cans.

While Hard Mtn Dew will likely not make its UK debut for some time, PepsiCo’s preparations come with the core Mountain Dew soft drink in great shape. Its value sales surged 14.8% to £20m in grocery last year, on volumes up 14.4% [NIQ 52 w/e 10 September 2022].

PepsiCo’s arch rival Coca-Cola also looks set to widen its soft drinks portfolio – bringing affordable energy brand Predator to the UK under the Monster banner.

It has applied to register the Predator logo with the IPO under class 32 for non-alcoholic beverages.

Predator is currently available in five variants – including Mean Green and Gold Strike – across EMEA, Latin America and south-east Asia.

In 2021, it became the official energy drink partner of Liverpool FC.

The Grocer has approached Coca-Cola for comment.