New Delhi, Aug. 14 : Diageo, the world's largest premium drinks business, hopes to sell off its home-grown brands in India by October and then focus on beefing up sales of its international brands in the country. UDV India, where Diageo plc owns 95 per cent, has appointed Merrill Lynch to evaluate the bids received to buyout its three local brands: Gilbey's Green Label, Gold Club and Old Gold whiskeys. 'The successful bidder will be identified by September-end and the deal will be closed by October,' said Amar Raj Singh who has just been appointed as managing director of UDV India in which the Kilachands have a 5 per cent stake. Singh said, 'The successful bidder will be given the licence to use the Gilbey's green label for five years, after which it will have to drop the Gilbey's brand prefix.' Interestingly while Gilbey's green label is a whisky brand in India, it is marketed as a gin in Diageo's international portfolio of brands that include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Archers Peach Schnapps, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray and Captain Morgan. Singh said, 'Once we sell off our domestic brands, we will focus on the international brands.' The bidders, who include Deepak Roy, former president for South Asia, Russia and Baltics, are making a composite offer for all the brands which sell two and a half million cases a year. Singh said no reserve price had been fixed for the brands, adding that the company did not know about the number of bids or the names of the bidders. Industry sources say those interested in the acquisition include United Breweries and Shaw Wallace. However, Singh said that if Deepak Roy is successful in winning the bid for these brands he will run his separate business with these brands. UDV India said today that Singh would take over from Deepak Roy as managing director-India hub. He was working with the company as director, corporate affairs. UDV India has a bottled-in-India Scotch range that includes Black and White, Vat 69 and White Horse. Further it imports brands from its international portfolio like Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bailey's Irish cream, and Gordon's gin. The company wants to increase imports of these brands (they are already doing in the duty-free shops) so that they can stock retail off-licence shops across the country as soon as the states change their policies to permit the sale of foreign liquor.