2011: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash 2011

While the product is the same, it looks like the label has had a slight update when compared to 2010. For example, Cranberry Splash no longer features a transparent label, this time going with the standard wrap used on most other soft drinks in 20 oz. bottles. Frankly, it's a downgrade.

Compare with 2010 label

A new callout for "Naturally Sweetened with Real Sugar" has been added above the logo, with more green coloring placed on the bottom to make it look more "Sierra Mist-like", I suppose.

Have you spotted the 2011 version of Cranberry Splash yet?

The new Cranberry Splash is part of the reboot of Sierra Mist into Sierra Mist Natural. While not taking on the "Natural" name, Cranberry Splash is now being positioned as "Naturally Sweetened" and "Made with Real Sugar", while assuming the branding and redesign of Sierra Mist Natural. The drink has seemingly been a success for Pepsi, noted by its return year after year. Even the folks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group have tried to get in on the "cherryish carbonated beverage that also works well as a mixer" game with Pomegranate 7Up, which has also returned seasonally.

Personally, I've never been a fan of the flavor of flagship Sierra Mist… but I absolutely love Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. I wondered how the flavor would change with the shift in sweeteners from high fructose corn syrup to most likely a cane/beet sugar combination ("Real Sugar" is never really defined on the bottle, but this is what Pepsi confirms that they use in their Throwback products under the same branding).

Well, I'm not disappointed. If nothing else, I think the drink has actually improved. There is still that sweet, bitter flavor that you associate with cranberries. But to be honest, in the previous iterations of this drink, it was more like a "red, cherry-ish" flavor. The addition of sugar really helps that cranberry taste punch out! The flavor profile is far more distinctive now. Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash still has the uniquely "light" flavor that reminds me of one of my other holiday favorites, Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale.

It's clean, it's flavorful, it's good.

Ingredients:

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash
Carbonated water, sugar, natural flavor, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, Red 40, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), Blue 1

A 20 oz. bottle contains 260 calories, 60 mg of sodium, and 67 g of carbs (67 g sugars). This drink is caffeine free and contains no juice.

(Source: GillettePepsiCola.com)

As far as Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is concerned, it's still available. Additionally, Walton Beverage Co's distributor website notes that "Diet Sierra Mist and Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be restaged with great new graphics but will not be converting to Natural until 2011."

Sierra Mist Natural

Eventually, this speculation was confirmed by John Sicher at Beverage Digest when he noted via Twitter on August 24 that "PepsiCo's new Sierra Mist Natural, with sugar instead of HFCS, will start sale at some national retailers week of Aug. 29, say sources."

According to Pepsi and other sources such as Advertising Age, Sierra Mist Natural is taking the unprecedented step of actually replacing its namesake product. Though it's doing it with a different name (Sierra Mist Natural vs. Sierra Mist), here we have a situation where the high fructose corn syrup product is being replaced with "real sugar" on a permanent basis… something Pepsi Throwback, Mountain Dew Throwback, and Dr Pepper "Made with Real Sugar" fans seemingly have wanted for a few years now.

Sierra Mist

However, in this situation, what did PepsiCo really have to lose? Sierra Mist trails behind Coke's Sprite pretty significantly in market share. As a differentiator, it's worth a shot changing the sweetener to make this lemon lime brand seem attractive. Now granted, here at BevReview, we've not been shy in admitting that we've never really liked Sierra Mist. Frankly, we thought that Slice or even Storm were superior products. But alas, Pepsi continues to shove this product down the throats of consumers.

It's also seen its share of limited-time product extensions that attempted to add a little life into the brand, including Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze, Sierra Mist Undercover Orange, and Sierra Mist Ruby Splash. We won't even go into all the name changes (Diet Sierra Mist to Sierra Mist Free back to Diet Sierra Mist) or logo redesigns. It's not been a pretty ride for this lemon lime.

The "Natural" name gets its heritage from the niche Pepsi Natural, which debuted in 2009 as a sugar-sweetened soft drink that tasted pretty good, but didn't really have the feel of its namesake. Pepsi has also trademarked the name "Sierra Mist Essence", but obviously went with the more familiar "Natural" moniker.

So, what's the big difference in Sierra Mist Natural? Let's take a look at the ingredients…

Sierra Mist
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, ascorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)

Sierra Mist Natural
Carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium citrate

In all likelihood, the "real sugar" being used in Sierra Mist Natural is a combination of cane & beet sugars, as Pepsi has confirmed in the past with their Throwback products. If it wasn't, such as featuring the more-pricy cane sugar exclusively, I'd see the making a big deal about that in the marketing.

Ingredients of Sierra Mist

Ingredients of Sierra Mist Natural

Per an article in Advertising Age, customers wanted something "natural", and if this type of sugar pulls that off from a marketing perspective, Pepsi is probably thinking "why spend the money?" on the more expensive stuff.

PepsiCo is eliminating Sierra Mist in favor of Sierra Mist Natural, which is sweetened with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The move, which has been in the works for about 18 months, is two-fold. Research showed that brand loyalty in the lemon-lime category is lower than it is in the cola category. And the natural food and beverage category is exploding.

"There's not a strong reason to choose one [lemon-lime] brand over another. … And when we asked consumers what would re-engage them in soda, 'natural' was the No. 1 concept," Ms. Mangelsdorf said. "The notion of a mainstream lemon-lime soda felt like a huge territory."

Ms. Mangelsdorf expects the shift will make Sierra Mist "extremely competitive" with Sprite, adding that the brand should easily exceed its previous peak performance figures. (According to Beverage Digest, Sprite is more than four times larger than Sierra Mist, with a 5.5% share in 2009 compared to Sierra Mist's 1.3% share and 7Up's 1% share).

Comparison: Sierra Mist vs. Sierra Mist Natural logos

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners created Sierra Mist's new graphics, as well as the campaign, which breaks Sept. 20. It will include 15- and 30-second spots, as well as digital, radio, print and out-of-home.

The last part of that quote notes the new look for Sierra Mist Natural. Yes, once again the label gets a redesign.

Comparison of bottle color between Sierra Mist and Sierra Mist Natural

As you can see, there's a larger emphasis on the word "Mist" with a very, very notation of "Sierra". A lighter, more transparent look also conveys the idea that this is a "healthier" beverage.

"Real Sugar" emphasis with Natural

As has become commonplace, we see the shoutouts of "Made with Real Sugar" and "No artificial ingredients" being proclaimed on the label.

Gone is "100% Natural Flavors" on Sierra Mist

Gone is the phrasing "100% Natural Flavors", which is sort of ironic, since now it's more valid than before. The label on the 20 oz. bottle is translucent in places, showcasing the drink. In addition, the color of the green plastic bottle is lighter in hue vs. the previous Sierra Mist bottle, again given the impression of a look that is closer to water in transparency.

See the difference in logo style?
(Photo by Gregory Koval)

BevReview fan Gregory Koval spotted both Sierra Mist and Sierra Mist Natural side-by-side in a store in Pittsburgh, PA and snapped some photos. You can see the large difference in designs between the two products. However, with the original flavor being phased out, it won't matter much eventually.

So what does this stuff actually taste like? Is Natural better than the original Sierra Mist? We tasted the two products side-by-side and even compared their look when poured into a glass.

While regular Sierra Mist felt heavy and more syrupy, Sierra Mist Natural had a lighter feel to it overall. It possessed a stronger citrus taste that portrayed a strong crispness. It almost felt more carbonated, to be honest. A stronger citrusy scent was also obvious when you first opened the drink.

Sierra Mist Natural: Small Bubbles

Sierra Mist: Large Bubbles

However, things got a little different the more we explored the drink. Unlike other real sugar lemon lime drinks we've tested, such as Bubble Up, the crisp and clean start to Sierra Mist Natural leaves for a peculiar aftertaste. I've seen some folks mention that it almost tastes like a diet soda. I will admit that at first, this wasn't a very good thing. I mean, seriously, what could go wrong here?

That said, it was a taste that seemed to be acquired quickly over time because as we moved beyond the initial sips of Sierra Mist Natural, the aftertaste actually wasn't an issue. Overall, we really wanted to like this drink because of the "real sugar" element. However, that quirky taste isn't going to help, I'm afraid.

It should be noted that Diet Sierra Mist continues seemingly unchanged from its previous formula. Even though there is a trademark filing for Diet Sierra Mist Natural, that phrasing won't be used at this time.

(Source: GillettePepsiCola.com)

However, Walton Beverage Co's distributor website notes that "Diet Sierra Mist and Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be restaged with great new graphics but will not be converting to Natural until 2011." Additionally, "Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will also be reformulated to be 'naturally sweetened'."

(Source: GillettePepsiCola.com)

Will this move to Sierra Mist Natural help the lemon lime fortunes of Pepsi? I guess we'll know for sure in a year or so. But given the history of turbulence in the Sierra Mist brand, does anyone want to place a bet on when the next reboot will be?

When Pepsi Natural hit the market in March 2009, we started doing some research on trademarks to see if any follow-up beverages were also planned. At the time, we noted the following:

Oh, and just between you and me, back in 2006-7 there was also talk about another "sugar" beverage being delivered from Pepsi. Trademarks for the phrases Sierra Mist Essence and Sierra Mist Natural were filed December 18, 2006, with updates in status September 24, 2008. Might we see a sugar-sweetened Sierra Mist eventually? I bet sales of Pepsi Natural will answer that question…

It looks like Sierra Mist Natural is closer to becoming reality based on two recent trademark filings by PepsiCo.

Sierra Mist Natural and Diet Sierra Mist Natural
(Name Source: US Patent and Trademark Office)

Along with the original "Sierra Mist Natural" trademark (#77066208, December 18, 2006), there is an additional "Sierra Mist Natural" mark associated with a design (#77943694, February 2, 2010). The status on this trademark changed on March 1, 2010 to "New Application – Record Initialized Not Assigned to Examiner." Along with this application is the following artwork:

Sierra Mist Natural trademark design
(Name Source: US Patent and Trademark Office)

This description is used to in regards to the attached design: "The mark consists of a stylized drawing depicting a splash design with carbonation bubbles. The top of the design depicts stylizations of a cut green lime and a cut yellow lemon. The background blends from white with a gray outline at the top to light green at the bottom of the mark. The words SIERRA MIST NATURAL in green stylized letters are imposed over the center of the background. The shape of the bottle is shown in dotted lines and is not claimed as a feature of the mark. In addition, the shape and proportion of the label to the bottle is not claimed as a feature of the mark."

Comparison: New Sierra Mist logo vs. Sierra Mist Natural

Of course, this description and logo design might be irrelevant, given that Sierra Mist is going through yet another redesign, with the new look being completely different from the mockup of Sierra Mist Natural in the trademark filing.

Additionally, there's a filing for a "Diet Sierra Mist Natural" (#77927915, February 4, 2010), though not much additional information is available. One wonders how you could have a diet drink that is also natural if one of the elements of making a drink like Pepsi Natural is the use of cane/beet sugar.

Last time I checked, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium weren't exactly natural. This could be an opportunity for Pepsi to rollout a stevia-sweetened beverage, given that Pepsi uses the PureVia brand with Sobe Lifewater that markets itself as a "natural sweetener."

Things are getting interesting here!

One of our favorite seasonal flavors returns for a 4th installment during the holidays, as Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is once again available for a limited time.

2009: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

This drink was first introduced in 2006, returned in 2007 with a diet version, and both drinks came back in 2008.

2009: Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

For 2009, the formula is the same, but the look is dramatically different. It took a little while for Pepsi's controversial logo redesigns to hit Cranberry Splash, but they are in full effect this year.

2006-08: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

Contrast the new look with the design we've seen from 2006-2008. You'll also note a name change on the diet installment from "Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash" to the more normal "Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash" — apparently, "Free" is dead.

In any case, as we noted in our review, this is a Sierra Mist flavor that is actually good… so don't miss it!

Heavily showcased during March's South by Southwest (SXSW) music/film/interactive festival in Austin, TX, Sierra Mist Ruby Splash was officially released in April.

With a tagline proclaiming it as "Liquid Sunshine", Pepsi describes the drink as "a delicious and refreshing blend of the lemon-lime taste that consumers love with a splash of ruby grapefruit." This quote comes from Kristina Mangelsdorf, who believe it or not, has the title of "Director of Marketing, Flavors" for Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. I bet you didn't know you could have a "Flavor" position, did ya?

Unlike Cranberry Splash, Lemon Squeeze, and Undercover Orange, Ruby Splash is here to stay long-term — something I'd personally love to see happen to Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, but what do I know… I just review drinks!

Now, I have to admit my bias here. I don't like Sierra Mist. Frankly, I've never felt it was a very good lemon-lime, especially considering that the drink it replaced — Slice — had a much better taste. That said, I've really enjoyed the flavor extensions, probably because they don't taste much like Sierra Mist. The popularity of Cranberry Splash is great every holiday season, but you have to wonder if Pepsi just thinks it's not strong enough to work year-round. I'd love to see that move to full-time. Lemon Squeeze was VERY lemon-y, but not bad. And last summer's Undercover Orange was a bit odd being clear, yet the orange was refreshing, even though it tasted rather fake and syrupy.

The idea of taking a lemon-lime flagship and adding flavors to it is nothing new. 7Up has long offered a cherry flavor (Cherry 7Up), along with a holiday Pomegranate 7Up entry. They tried some ill-fated spinoffs including 7Up Plus Mixed Berry, 7Up Plus Island Fruit, and 7Up Plus Cherry. Coke experimented with extensions of Sprite years ago as well. Do you remember Sprite Remix Tropical, Sprite Remix Berryclear, and Sprite Remix Aruba Jam?

Sierra Mist is the first flavor extension to roll out with the new Sierra Mist logo that Pepsi introduced when they basically did a redesign of their entire portfolio. The new Mist logo features a rather clever "misty" fade on the phrase "Mist", complimented by yellow, green, and white. With the rollout of Ruby Splash, that logo has been enhanced with the addition of pink to the color scheme. On the 20 oz. bottle, this is emphasized by a red/pink translucent cap that really pulls out the colors in the label design. It's not as evident in the 12 oz. can, and in some ways, might easily be confused on the store shelf (granted, the cans are packaged in a larger cardboard box, thus it might be a mute point).

The diet version of the packaging uses yellow lettering in the "Mist" logo vs. the white lettering for the regular offering. Are you confused yet? Also, isn't it odd that the diet version of this drink is called "Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash"? What happened to the big push of using the phrase "Free" instead of "Diet", i.e. Sierra Mist Free and Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash?

Something I observed with the cans for Sierra Mist Ruby Splash, which were sent to me from Pepsi… Rather than have the artwork and labeling printed right on the can, they seemed to be shrinkwrapped instead, sort of like you see ads that cover entire public transit buses. However, looking at the cans available at the local store (which is here in Chicago), they were printed right on the metal. Thus I have to assume that this is a bottler issue, with different methods being used around the country. But how long has this shrinkwrap approach been used elsewhere? Anyway, I digress…

When you open a bottle or can of Sierra Mist Ruby Splash, the grapefruit scent is very obvious. It doesn't smell much like Sierra Mist. The drink itself is clear, just like Undercover Orange was last summer. Let's talk about taste, shall we? The flavor is sweet, with a nice blend of the grapefruit influence. You can still taste the Sierra Mist lemon-lime base, which depending on your preferences, could be good or bad. This drink isn't as bitter or biting as Ruby Red Squirt, which is probably the drink I'd compare it to, though you could probably also pull Canfield's 50/50 into the mix as well. Overall, it's a nice flavor extension that is light, but adds a good bit of variety to a rather dull lemon-lime experience. Plus, it's caffeine free!

The diet version of this drink, Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash, didn't have as great of a grapefruit flavor, in my opinion. It felt muted compared to the full-calorie edition. The sweeteners of choice are a combination of aspartame and Ace-K (acesulfame potassium), which, yes, give it that horrid aftertaste typically associated with diet beverages. That's the tradeoff you get for no sugar.

Ingredients:

Sierra Mist Ruby Splash
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor

A 20 oz. bottle packs 240 calories, while a 12 oz. can will provide 150 calories. You'll get 55 mg of sodium with the bottle, 35 with the can. 65 g of sugars can be found in the plastic bottle option, while it's just 39 g in the can.

Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash
Carbonated water, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium citrate, aspartame, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor

Being a diet version, there are 0 calories, carbs, or sugars. A 12 oz. can provides 35 mg of sodium.

Sierra Mist Ruby Splash is a welcomed addition, if only to provide variety for those who prefer caffeine free beverages beyond the lemon-lime flavor. The grapefruit flavoring is light, but creates a good experience overall. Meanwhile, Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash with aspartame and Ace-K had a less potent flavor.

Back in October 2008 when PepsiCo reported bad 3rd Quarter earnings for their beverage division, a lot of changes went into motion. One of those initiatives was the Pepsi logo redesign. However, some new products were mentioned as well. One of those, as reported by Brandweek, was Sierra Mist Ruby Splash.

Logo Design for Sierra Mist Ruby Splash
(Source: PepsiPop.com)

Described as a "unique flavor combination of lemon, lime and a splash of ruby grapefruit", this drink is one of the many flavor editions that have been rolled out based on the Sierra Mist brand, including Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (Holiday 2006-8), Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze (Summer 2007), and Sierra Mist Undercover Orange (Summer 2008). (No word yet if we'll ever see the likes of Sierra Mist Mojito Splash or Sierra Mist Next, however.)

Sierra Mist Ruby Splash is being given a preview introduction at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music/film/interactive festival in Austin, TX from March 13-22. Pepsi is hosting a "Sierra Mist Ruby Splash Sun Lounge" where they are offering free samples of both Sierra Mist Ruby Splash and Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash, as well as mixing it in cocktails.

If you poke around the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Electronic Search System, you'll find that Pepsi applied for a trademark on the Sierra Mist Ruby Splash name on September 5, 2008.

Video capture of new can design
(Source: BelchingMonkey.com)

The new drink is clear, coming in packaging that sports the new Sierra Mist logo. This logo denotes a "misty" fade on the phrase "Mist", while pulling the green, white, and yellow of the flagship flavor.

Video capture of new can design
(Source: BelchingMonkey.com)

The Ruby Splash derivative ads a light pink color to this branding scheme, as noted by the folks over at Belching Monkey, who are at SXSW and shot a video of the tasting experience. Descriptions from that video seem to indicate that it tastes a bit like Squirt. Hmmm, funny how there is already a Ruby Red Squirt flavor!

Keep your eyes peeled for this new drink!

Returning for the third straight holiday season, PepsiCo's Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is once again available for a limited time.

Introduced in 2006 and brought back in 2007 with a diet version, Cranberry Splash has been a solid performer for the franchise… and frankly, it doesn't taste half bad either!

This flavor was first rumored last year when Pepsi moved to protect the trademarks on the name (both regular and diet) back in December 2007. This was followed by a promotional e-mail sighting in March 2008 related to the "Pepsi Stuff" loyalty program.

The drink is clear. Yup, no color. How about that? No, it's not Crystal Pepsi, but hey, it's clear with a different type of flavor. That has to count for something, right? The labeling on the 20 oz. bottle I had is prominently orange, highlighted with lime green stripes at the top and bottom. The Sierra Mist "Undercover" logo (first spotted in the trademark filing) is mostly blue. The "Undercover" name is called out in uppercase yellow letters, almost as if this phrase was being marketed as some sort of subbrand. This idea is emphasized by the fact that the flavor ("Orange") is written in a substantially smaller size below "Undercover". A very tiny label of "Limited Edition" is also part of the logo, which is an odd choice, given that these sort of callouts are typically in more prominent locations on a label (such as on the banding).

The flavor itself is described as "lemon-lime soda with a splash of mandarin orange flavor with other natural flavors." Upon opening the drink, it does smell like an orange soda. Close your eyes when you do it or you will be deceived. Even then, the orange is not as strong as what you might find in a Sunkist or Crush orange beverage. But what about the flavor itself? It's pretty good, when you consider the fact that it's based on what I consider a inferior lemon lime drink. The orange flavor is subtle, a little sweet. The difference is the tail of the beverage experience and the aftertaste… both are somewhat different. I think this a combination of two things… the flavor of "mandarin orange" vs. standard orange and the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as the sweetener.

The orange flavor in the finish threw me off a bit. It wasn't what I expected. It's different. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. It did seem to hint back to the flavor I seem to remember from the Orange Slice days. It's more unique. At the same time, there was somewhat of a negative taste there, which either was the type of orange flavoring used or the syrupy HFCS aftertaste. In either case, I sort of liked it. However, I wanted to like it and will admit that I wish it tasted a bit better.

Like other Sierra Mist flavors, this drink contains no caffeine. A 20 oz. bottle (technically, 2.5 servings) packs 240 calories, 55 mg of sodium, and 65 g of sugars. The full ingredient list is as follows:

Sierra Mist Undercover Orange
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, and calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor).

This isn't the first limited edition flavor that Sierra Mist has rolled out. Last summer they offered Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze, and for Holiday 2006 and 2007 they offered up Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.

This drink also represents another blatant marketing tie-in for PepsiCo. You may recall the August 2007 rollout of Mountain Dew Game Fuel, which was an obvious cross-promotional effort with the Halo 3 game for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. In this case, Sierra Mist Undercover Orange is tied to Warner Bros.'s summer release of Get Smart, a remake of the 1960s spy parody show. This interpretation stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, both of whom are featured on the Undercover Orange label. The name ("Undercover") also hints at the spy genre, as does the idea of something being hidden or top secret — such as the orange flavor disguised as a clear liquid.

The drink concept isn't completely unique. It's really just PepsiCo's version of Coke's Sprite Remix brand that featured Sprite Remix Tropical, Sprite Remix Berryclear, and Sprite Remix Aruba Jam a few years back. Still, it's nice to see an orange flavor return to Pepsi's lineup. That's something that has been missed since the loss of Slice and hasn't been adequately replaced by drinks like Tropicana Twister Soda Orange.

Overall, Sierra Mist Undercover Orange is a creative limited edition that provides an orange flavor within a clear soft drink, much like Sprite Remix. The mandarin orange taste is considerably different from other orange sodas, though suffers from some of the negatives associated with HFCS and Sierra Mist in general. It's a clever tie-in to the movie Get Smart and provides a much needed orange flavor to PepsiCo's lineup.

According to a recent discovery, however, that may not be the case for long. On December 4, 2007, two filings were made with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect the names of Sierra Mist Undercover Orange and Sierra Mist Free Undercover Orange. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that these are orange-flavored soft drinks.

No estimate on when these drinks might be tested or appear in the marketplace.