In terms of what it costs to produce, Coke may be the best value for your dollar. But there are definitely superior colas out there if you're willing to spend slightly more. They don't have Coke's distribution or brand and they don't "taste like childhood" though.
With this whole "childhood" thing: I'm glad my parents didn't let me drink too much of any sugary drink, when I was a kid.
That said I had a some compensation episodes later, e.g. when I first discovered Vanilla Coke in a winding 7-11 in Hong Kong - I remember this beverage to be almost overwhelmingly sweet.
I really like a lot of Boylan's products, but not their cola. On an intellectual level I can reason that it tastes very good, but it just doesn't taste like what I'm looking for when I'm in the mood for a cola.
