Dr Pepper Just Launched Its Own Bourbon-Flavored Soda

Dr Pepper is a soda that's a bit of a mystery. Apparently, it gets its signature taste from a blend of 23 flavors, a mysterious mix that fans speculate may include everything from tomato and black licorice to carrot and vanilla. Basically, if you've never been able to nail down the flavor of Dr Pepper, you're not alone. The brand has never confirmed what exactly goes into making up its signature cola.

To make matters even more confusing (or tasty, depending on how you look at it), there are several different flavors of Dr Pepper on the market these days too. So take the mysterious 23 flavors, then add a few more in for good measure, and you'll get something like Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla or Dr Pepper & Cream Soda. Now, die-hard fans of the brand who use the Pepper Perks rewards program are in for another treat, because Dr Pepper is shaking things up yet again — this time, with a new soda that tastes like bourbon.

Dr Pepper has another new flavor to offer fans, but this one can't simply be bought at the grocery store. Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve, which pairs the signature taste of Dr Pepper with the flavor of bourbon (sans alcohol), will only be available to Pepper Perks rewards members (via Food & Wine). To enter a sweepstakes to win one of the limited-edition cans, users must log in to the Pepper Perks app, then play a scratch-to-win game to find out if they'll get to try one of the cans of the new flavor.

Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve boasts flavor notes of oak, vanilla, honey, and cherry. If you think about it, bourbon and Dr Pepper aren't so strange a pairing. Hot Dr Pepper used to be enjoyed as a winter drink in Texas, and was prized for its boozy flavor at alcohol-free Baylor University — though apparently it's just as good with a shot of actual bourbon added (via Houston Press). Cocktails with names like Pepper Jack and Jack and The Doctor pair Jack Daniels with Dr Pepper. The flavor notes in both the soda and the liquor are pretty similar (vanilla, oak), so it makes sense to combine them into one new soda. Those interested in trying the new cola should note that the sweepstakes will last until supplies of the Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve runs out, or until November 17 — whichever comes first.