Lion Nathan tipped to buy Independent Distillers

Australian brewer Lion Nathan would be a top contender in a potential $1.2 billion sale of Australian and New Zealand spirits group Independent Distillers, Goldman Sachs JBWere says.

Speculation about a possible sale of the business has surfaced since its founder, Michael Erceg, died in a helicopter crash last November.

Independent Distillers products include ready-to-drink Woodstock Bourbon & Cola and Kristov Vodka Cruisers.

It makes Haagen beer and imports beers including Carlsberg, Tuborg and Grolsch.

"In our view Lion Nathan's thirst for an RTD business and its transtasman asset footprint makes it the leading contender in any potential sale," Goldman Sachs JBWere analyst Paul Ryan said in the research report.