xactly 10 years ago, I acquired a lifetime lease on some land in Scotland, a square foot of Islay—the ‘Queen of the Hebrides’—to be precise. Were I to walk into the Laphroaig distillery one fine day (as I hope to do), I’ll be able to claim my yearly ground rent in the form of a dram of whisky. I’ll also be able to inspect my plot, for which a map and sundries will be supplied from the Leaseholders’ cupboard. It’s a flattering conceit, and required nothing more than the purchase of a bottle from the duty-free and signing up as a ‘Friend of Laphroaig’ (which is easy, because Laphroaig after all is such a friendly fellow), and punching in the code that came with the bottle. I know it’s nothing, silly even, but it still has the capacity to make me feel pampered. That luxury came cheap, but I can’t say the same for our cover story, which brings together 25 of India’s most luxurious travel experiences. They’ll cost you a bit more, but I can assure you they’re worth every rupee. That’s why they made the cut. Elsewhere in the issue, we feast our eyes on Tokyo’s plum blossoms, chug up to snooty St Moritz, and bring you tasting notes from some nice, new joints in Delhi. And we undertake a pilgrimage to Laphroaig in its 200th year. I’ve been having some interesting conversations lately. Two of these appear in the issue: one with Giuseppe Aquila, CEO of Montegrappa, Italy’s leading luxury pen brand; the other with Ratti Dhodapkar, MD of Abercrombie & Kent India’s outbound division. Both of them were passionate about their products. A fountain pen is a thing of beauty and I needed no convincing there. But I’m grateful to Ratti from bringing me round to the idea that a luxury holiday isn’t actually expensive—it’s simply great value for money. In other news, Team OT had a glimpse into the Good Life recently. It suited us rather well, as you can see.