A recent decision to rewatch HBO's Succession has sucked me right back into the world of quiet luxury in New York.
More than once, I've found myself pausing a scene to ask Google just how much an understated Margiela T-shirt or Gucci turtleneck worn by one of the hapless Roy siblings would cost in real life, and invariably being shocked by the results.
And each time a power-hungry CEO drops a small fortune on a restaurant bill or a bottle of champagne at one of the big city's most exclusive bars, I imagine what it might be like to be so filthy rich that nothing is off the menu.
Escapism at its finest.
Really though, while it's fun to fantasise about vintage wines and bougie bubbles, truth be told, even if I were to win the lottery tomorrow, I don't think I'd have it in me to part with silly amounts of money for any single beverage.
Take whisky, for example. I love whisky and have, in the past, managed to rack up a decent bill at The Pot Still in Glasgow sampling from its vast collection of malts and blends. But never have I splurged my entire budget on one dram. That's just bad economics, wasteful even, in my book.
I had that same thought recently when it was reported that Scotch, the whisky bar at The Balmoral in Edinburgh, was proudly boasting the latest addition to its gantry, at the price of an astonishing £1,000 a dram.
One thousand pounds. More than the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat in Glasgow, gone in just a few short sips.
While I can appreciate the craftsmanship, expertise and close to five decades of maturation that have gone into earning such a handsome price tag, I'm certain the experience would be lost on me.
A whisky drinker I may be, and fortunate enough to have tried some ultra-exclusive releases through distillery press trips and special events. But when it comes to the really geeky stuff, I've never quite been able to keep up.
Just imagine the pressure to appreciate every single nuance and subtle tasting note, knowing that you'd blown enough money to pay for a sunny summer holiday on the chance to do so. Would you really be able to appreciate £1,000 worth of complexity, or simply be scrabbling to convince yourself that was the case?
And what if, in a moment of sheer panic, you realise that you actually prefer the taste of that reasonably priced release you have back in the drinks cabinet at home? Surely buyer's remorse would forever taint the taste of that oh-so-precious spirit.
The truth of it is, of course, that these costly tipples aren't meant for your average Joe. Just like purveyors of designer clothes or flashy cars, the drinks industry will always have a luxury market to cater to. The kind of people with real-life Roy family levels of wealth who would think nothing of ordering a top-of-the-top-shelf dram.
Or, perhaps the die-hard whisky enthusiasts who will view the chance to taste something so rare as a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience. If they have the funds to do so, who am I to judge?
Knowing that my own personal favourites cost barely even a fraction of that price, however, I'm resolute in my opinion that no single serve is worth anywhere close to a grand or, shudder at the thought, higher still.
But hey, that doesn't mean I won't continue to relish living vicariously through fictional billionaires who would no doubt argue otherwise.
Sarah Campbell is The Herald’s Food and Drink writer and restaurant critic. You can find her on X or Instagram @sz_campbell.
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