Fancy a rare $2760 whisky? How about a $16,000 sneaker set too?

The brew was matured for 29 years in casks that formerly contained Awarmori, so Shiel opted for decadent trimmings, including Japanese leather for the uppers and a Chirimen silk dust bag. The gold stars around the toe and the Glenfiddich stag were 3D-printed and produced by ABC Bullion using 99.99 per cent Australian gold. A first, says Shiel, for both himself and ABC Bullion.

Shiel’s approach to the creative process is rather unorthodox, with no pre-sketching or drafts done before the physical product is created. “It’s all in my head, I don’t sketch or draw anything.”

But thankfully the axiom “inspiration in a bottle” holds up even when you’re not required to drink the contents.

A detail of the Chirimen silk dust bag embroidery during manufacture of the sneakers. 

“About 30 minutes after the initial meeting outlining the project, I came up with the design,” says Shiel. “Numerous design elements stood out, which made the process a lot easier. It was clear in my mind, but still everyone involved wanted to get an idea of what I was thinking, so I had the help of a graphic artist to put my vision onto paper this time.”

Aside from all the precious metal and fibres, the other reason for the high price tag is rarity: you can’t head down to your local shoe shop to buy a pair. Interested parties will need to enter a ballot, which goes live on September 30.

If you are successful, and choose to follow through with investing in your own pair of Grand Yozakura sneakers, you’ll also get a bottle of the limited-edition whisky. That alone would normally set you back $2760. But if you’re already forking out a plane ticket’s worth of cash for sneakers it’s probably not about the money, is it?