Mountain Dew is discontinuing a fan-favorite flavor by year-end

PepsiCo $PEP will discontinue Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning at KFC restaurants after Dec. 31, Chief Marketing Officer Scott Finlow told Allrecipes.

Finlow said PepsiCo wants to keep the flavor available to fans in some form after that date. "The passion fans have for Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning speaks for itself. When our fans tell us they love something, we pay attention. Sweet Lightning will be available at KFC through December 31, and beyond then, we intend to find new ways for fans to keep enjoying it," Finlow said in a statement. The company has not said what those new ways might be.

Sweet Lightning is a honey-peach soda that debuted in 2019 as a flavor meant to be sold only at KFC with no planned end date, according to Allrecipes. KFC and Mountain Dew have also rolled out offshoots of the drink, among them a Sweet Lightning Peaches & Cream Soda, according to Allrecipes. The flavor itself has never been sold in stores, according to Allrecipes.

That differs from Baja Blast, a Mountain Dew flavor tied to Taco Bell, which is sold in cans and bottles at grocery stores under a partnership with the chain, according to Allrecipes. Allrecipes said the expiration of the KFC-PepsiCo deal is why Sweet Lightning will be pulled from the menu.

KFC U.S., a Yum Brands $YUM chain, announced a new beverage partnership with The Coca-Cola $KO Company last week. The transition from PepsiCo is set to begin in January 2027, and Coca-Cola products are expected to be served in all U.S. KFC restaurants by spring 2027.

KFC's U.S. restaurants have served PepsiCo drinks since PepsiCo bought the chain in 1986. Yum Brands and PepsiCo have renewed agreements covering Taco Bell and KFC International stores.