Spencer Passmore
Graphics Editor

Supernova. Pitch Black. LiveWire. The famous citrus soda, Mountain Dew, has a long history of unique flavors and names, with over 40 unique varieties having been produced at some point. The drink also has a history of heeding the advice of its fans, which is the reasoning behind the second nationwide DEWmocracy campaign. DEWmocracy allows fans to vote on their favorite of 3 new flavors. The winner will eventually go into full scale production, and become a permanent member of the Mountain Dew family.

This year, the three flavors in the running are Typhoon, Distortion, and WhiteOut. Originally, seven flavors were developed by Mountain Dew, and spread out to a limited fan base for preliminary voting. Another 50 more extensive kits were given to "DEW fanatics," who tasted and provided detailed feedback on each type, and eventually the best three flavors were selected.

However, in true DEWmocratic fashion, the process did not end there. Fans voted on the color of the drinks, their names, their packaging, and even advertising strategies before the flavors were released April 19. General voting for the final flavor began the same day, and will continue until June 14. The winner will be released in its final form on Labor Day.

The flavors themselves are very different from each other, and despite the huge number of unique flavors released in the past, each of the candidates is something totally new.

Typhoon, with a light red coloring, has a strawberry-pineapple flavor, and is probably the most innovative of the three. Pineapple has been used before in the Taco Bell flavor Baja Blast, but strawberry is new to the word of Mountain Dew. At the time of writing, it was leading the polls, with 42% of votes.

The second flavor, Distortion, is a bit confusing. It seems almost as if the flavor scientists, seeing the success of the original drink, decided to make it Mountain Dew-ier. The color is a slightly darker green, and has even more citrus flavor in the form of lime. While certainly not the same as before, it lacks originality, which may explain why it is ranked third, with only 21% of the vote.

WhiteOut is the last of the new flavors. As suggested by the name, it has a slightly opaque white color, with a tiny hint of blue. The flavor, described as "smooth citrus," tastes slightly of grapefruit and a hint of lemon. It has by far the most unique color, although the flavor is not as interesting as Typhoon. It currently has 37% of the popular vote, and is in second place.

Of course, there are still a few weeks left before the voting is finished, and things still could change. It will ultimately be the people of the United States who decide what the next flavor will be. We are lucky, after all, to live in a DEWmocracy.

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