According to a person familiar with the development and who didn't want to be identified, the merger is significant for a proposed strategic partnership the UB Group is discussing with Diageo India Pvt. Ltd, the Indian arm of the world's largest liquor company, Diageo Plc. Diageo India managing director Asif Adil had last month told Mint that the company plans to have a bottling base in Tamil Nadu for at least three of its bottled-in-India brands in the whisky and vodka segments.