dnL Soda: History, Flavors & Trivia

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

7-Up has always been a classic. But do you know what happens when a classic brings something new to the world? You get a classic with a twist. While these specialty options sometimes don’t last, they are certainly worth a glance when they do. And many of us have memories of those classics that can never be replaced. 

History

In 2002, Cadbury Schweppes America’s Beverages added a drink to the 7-Up line of drinks. That year, many different soda lines chose to step out and try to add new flavors to their lineup. We saw additions like Pepsi Blue, Vanilla Coke, and even Dr. Pepper Red Fusion in that timeframe. 

7-Up added dnL soda to their line. Unfortunately, this particular soda only lasted a few years on the market but it was a memorable few years still. dnL might seem like an unusual name, and it is, but if you turn 7up upside down, this is what you get. That is where the name came from. More on that later! 

dnL was designed to be the opposite of 7-Up as far as flavor and style go. It’s pretty interesting when you consider the comparisons. For example, 7-Up was a clear liquid and it came in a green bottle. It was also caffeine-free. 

However, dnL was caffeinated, it was green (almost the color of 7-Up’s bottle), and it was sold in a clear bottle. The flavor was still based on lemon-lime but it also had an added citrus flavor to it that made it stand apart from 7-Up. The flavor was designed to be stronger and stand out more. 

dnL had an interesting slogan “Turn your drink upside down”, which went very well with the theme of the drink and how it was meant to be the opposite of 7-Up. It was comparable to Mountain Dew in flavor and color and was actually produced for similar reasons to Mountain Dew. 

Mountain Dew was competing with Mello Yello, Fanta, and Sprite so dnL was created to do pretty much the exact same thing as well. 

dnL was discontinued in 2006 when 7-Up came out with 7-Up Plus. However, it was popular while it was out and people continue to reminisce about it. Of course, all things adapt and change. Brands are always coming out with new options and this is just one of those. 

During its short time on the market, dnL did make an impact. You will find that it debuted at least 3 times and was promoted in the spotlight by at least 3 major events in that time frame. It was a sponsored drink at SSX 3. The 46^th Annual Grammy’s also used dnL as a sponsored drink. 

And finally, an event many of us Lord of the Rings fans remember, dnL was a sponsored drink at the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. 

The whole design of dnL was for an Uncola campaign that 7-Up ran and it was successful for a few short years. It was sometimes also referred to as 7 Upside Down rather than just dnL. 

dnL was not produced everywhere. It was never available in Canada. It seems it was specific to the United States primarily when it was released. It was retired in favor of the 7 Up Plus drink.  

When Was dnL Soda Invented? 

7 Up wanted to make an effort to be a part of the ever-changing soda industry. Names like Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola were testing the waters with new flavors and additions to their lines and 7-Up didn’t want to be left out of the party. 

So they decided to campaign for an “uncola” in 2002 and dnL is what came of that thought process. dnL only stayed on the market for 4 years before it was discontinued in favor of a different line from 7-Up but it was a popular and enjoyable choice in that timeframe still. 

dnL stayed on the market from 2002 when it was released until it met its end in 2006. The official discontinuation was almost a surprise because, at the end of 2005, it was still a vital part of the line. However, in 2006, they announced it would be discontinued and the 7-Up Plus line took its place. 

7-Up Plus was meant to be a healthy soda while dnL was really the exact opposite. Coincidentally, that drink has also now been discontinued, as have many other flavors from the 7-Up line through the years. However, there are still a few 7-Up flavors and choices that remain available and popular still. dnL is simply no longer one of those flavors. 

Who Owns dnL Soda? 

dnL Soda was part of the 7-Up brand. This brand was produced by the Cadbury Schweppes American’s Beverages line but it was also under the ownership of Keurig Dr. Pepper at one point in time. 

All of these lines fall under that umbrella but Cadbury Schweppes ultimately was the owner of the brand and all of the other brands under the same umbrella. 

Many people thought dnL was just poorly marketed at the time it came out but we have to admit it certainly had unique marketing and thought behind the portrayal. It was not something you were going to find with any other brand, really. 

How Did dnL Soda Get its Name? 

dnL Soda was really pretty unique. 7-Up was almost always a standalone soda but they wanted to be competitive in an evolving market. They chose the recipe, design, and campaign basically by doing the opposite of 7-Up, which is also where the name comes from. 

If you turn the title 7Up upside down, you get dnL and that’s the name that stuck. They used the slogan “turn your thirst upside down” to pair with it. They made almost everything about the drink the opposite of 7-Up, aside from the flavor. They simply made a twist on the flavor. 

So you see things like 7-Up, which is clear and caffeine-free. They turned dnL upside down and made a caffeinated soda that was green, similar to Mountain Dew. They also twisted the flavor just slightly. They kept the lemon-lime basis but added some citrus to the mix as well. 

All of the high points were to create an opposite effect to 7-Up and they did that well. 

Logo

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients of dnL Soda.

• Water
• High fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, 2% or less of: natural flavors
• Caffeine
• Citric acid
• Sodium benzoate
• Sodium citrate
• Calcium disodium edta
• Acacia gum
• Glycerol ester of wood rosin
• Blue 1
• Yellow 5

Flavors

There were never other flavors of dnL created. dnL itself was a by-product of the 7-Up brand so it really was a flavor to another drink. dnL didn’t last long on the market. It was only available for about 4 years before they discontinued it and tried something else out in the market. 

Where to Buy?

Unfortunately, you can’t buy dnL Soda any longer. It has been discontinued now for more than a decade. The soda had a short shelf life. It was produced originally in 2002 and then 7-Up chose to discontinue dnL soda and pursue a different line with 7-Up Plus at that time. 

While 7-Up does still have several other flavor options available now, both dnL Soda and 7-Up Plus are discontinued and not available on the market anymore. You won’t find this one out there to buy but you can probably find something similar from another brand if you want.