British beverage heavyweight Diageo
United Spirits is part of United Breweries Holdings, which also includes Kingfisher Airlines as well as fertilizer and engineering interests. United Spirits Limited has 145 brands, 22 of which sell more than a million cases a year, and enjoys majority market share in India, according to United Breweries' website.
Some industry watchers posit that a deal could provide much-needed cash to help out Kingfisher Airlines. United Spirits' stock surged in Indian trading while Diageo was also trading higher, up nearly 2% by lunchtime Tuesday.