Review: Vault

[Childs]

I asked Tannerman this weekend if he had tried Vault, Coca Cola's most recent attempt to replicate Mountain Dew. When he told me "no" I decided to pick some up in Battle Creek, MI, where my parents live, which is a test market for Vault.

The logo for Vault is kind of cool, although I'm not sure what the name is supposed to mean. I like the bottle design. It's different, and fits with Coke's claim that Vault, "Drinks like a soda, kicks line an energy drink." It seems that Coca Cola is marketing this to young adults. Since it's loaded with 70.5mg of caffeine per 12 oz. serving (compared to 55.0mg for Mountain Dew), this drink should get most high school and college students going.

When I opened the bottle, the odor reminded me of Squirt. It seemed refreshing. The first taste was, anticlimactic. It really didn't have a crisp flavor like Mountain Dew, which is what I would have expected. It tasted a bit watered-down, as if it was not carbonated enough. Don't get me wrong, it was not a bad flavor, just not what I was expecting. I finished the bottle and was satisfied with the drink, but not impressed enough to run out and stock up on the stuff. It reminds me of Coca Cola's other attempts to tackle Mountain Dew (Surge, etc), and like the others, it's lacking a bit. I'd recommend trying Vault if you see it, but don't go out of your way to find it if it is not being tested in your area.

[Tannerman]

Childs, great review. I'm impressed. And you even linked to the VaultKicks.org website, produced by the same folks that gave you SaveSurge.org. Nice job!

When I first read that Vault was coming out, I was hopeful for some more innovation from Coke. Sounds like they took more of the sports/energy drink angle rather than trying to duplicate the Dew experience. I guess I can understand that, otherwise we'd probably be complaining that "this stuff tastes just like Dew."

Hopefully, Coke goes nationwide with it soon and I'll get a chance to check it out. Thanks again for the detailed review.