diff --git a/pkg/chunkenc/memchunk_test.go b/pkg/chunkenc/memchunk_test.go
index 3ddbd16e08e42..1eafb415313d3 100644
--- a/pkg/chunkenc/memchunk_test.go
+++ b/pkg/chunkenc/memchunk_test.go
@@ -950,35 +950,33 @@ func BenchmarkRead(b *testing.B) {
 	}
 }
 
-func BenchmarkReadWithStructuredMetadata(b *testing.B) {
-	b.Run("v5", func(b *testing.B) {
-		c := NewMemChunk(ChunkFormatV5, compression.Snappy, UnorderedWithOrganizedStructuredMetadataHeadBlockFmt, testBlockSize, testTargetSize)
-		fillChunk(c)
-		b.ResetTimer()
-		ctx := context.Background()
-		for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
-			iterator := c.SampleIterator(ctx, time.Unix(0, 0), time.Now(), countExtractor, true)
-			for iterator.Next() {
-			}
-			if err := iterator.Close(); err != nil {
-				b.Fatal(err)
-			}
+func BenchmarkReadWithStructuredMetadataV4(b *testing.B) {
+	c := NewMemChunk(ChunkFormatV4, compression.Snappy, UnorderedWithStructuredMetadataHeadBlockFmt, testBlockSize, testTargetSize)
+	fillChunk(c)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
+		iterator := c.SampleIterator(ctx, time.Unix(0, 0), time.Now(), countExtractor, true)
+		for iterator.Next() {
 		}
-	})
-	// b.Run("v5", func(b *testing.B) {
-	// 	c := NewMemChunk(ChunkFormatV4, compression.Snappy, UnorderedWithStructuredMetadataHeadBlockFmt, testBlockSize, testTargetSize)
-	// 	fillChunk(c)
-	// 	b.ResetTimer()
-	// 	ctx := context.Background()
-	// 	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
-	// 		iterator := c.SampleIterator(ctx, time.Unix(0, 0), time.Now(), countExtractor, true)
-	// 		for iterator.Next() {
-	// 		}
-	// 		if err := iterator.Close(); err != nil {
-	// 			b.Fatal(err)
-	// 		}
-	// 	}
-	// })
+		if err := iterator.Close(); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+func BenchmarkReadWithStructuredMetadataV5(b *testing.B) {
+	c := NewMemChunk(ChunkFormatV5, compression.Snappy, UnorderedWithOrganizedStructuredMetadataHeadBlockFmt, testBlockSize, testTargetSize)
+	fillChunk(c)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
+		iterator := c.SampleIterator(ctx, time.Unix(0, 0), time.Now(), countExtractor, true)
+		for iterator.Next() {
+		}
+		if err := iterator.Close(); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 type noopTestPipeline struct{}
diff --git a/pkg/chunkenc/organized_head.go b/pkg/chunkenc/organized_head.go
index 06b4adeade51a..f013f522c14b5 100644
--- a/pkg/chunkenc/organized_head.go
+++ b/pkg/chunkenc/organized_head.go
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func (b *organisedHeadBlock) CompressedBlock(pool compression.WriterPool) (block
 	}, len(bl), nil
 }
 
-func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseStructuredMetadata(pool compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
+func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseStructuredMetadataComp(pool compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
 	inBuf := serializeBytesBufferPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
 	defer func() {
 		inBuf.Reset()
@@ -148,7 +148,58 @@ func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseStructuredMetadata(pool compression.Writer
 	return outBuf.Bytes(), nil
 }
 
-func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseTimestamps(pool compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
+func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseStructuredMetadata(_ compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
+	symbolsSectionBuf := serializeBytesBufferPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
+	defer func() {
+		symbolsSectionBuf.Reset()
+		serializeBytesBufferPool.Put(symbolsSectionBuf)
+	}()
+
+	outBuf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	encBuf := make([]byte, binary.MaxVarintLen64)
+
+	_ = b.forEntries(context.Background(), logproto.FORWARD, 0, math.MaxInt64,
+		func(_ *stats.Context, _ int64, _ string, symbols symbols) error {
+			symbolsSectionBuf.Reset()
+			n := binary.PutUvarint(encBuf, uint64(len(symbols)))
+			symbolsSectionBuf.Write(encBuf[:n])
+
+			for _, l := range symbols {
+				n = binary.PutUvarint(encBuf, uint64(l.Name))
+				symbolsSectionBuf.Write(encBuf[:n])
+
+				n = binary.PutUvarint(encBuf, uint64(l.Value))
+				symbolsSectionBuf.Write(encBuf[:n])
+			}
+
+			// write the length of symbols section
+			n = binary.PutUvarint(encBuf, uint64(symbolsSectionBuf.Len()))
+			outBuf.Write(encBuf[:n])
+			outBuf.Write(symbolsSectionBuf.Bytes())
+
+			return nil
+		},
+	)
+
+	return outBuf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseTimestamps(_ compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
+	outBuf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	encBuf := make([]byte, binary.MaxVarintLen64)
+
+	_ = b.forEntries(context.Background(), logproto.FORWARD, 0, math.MaxInt64,
+		func(_ *stats.Context, ts int64, _ string, _ symbols) error {
+			n := binary.PutVarint(encBuf, ts)
+			outBuf.Write(encBuf[:n])
+			return nil
+		},
+	)
+
+	return outBuf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+func (b *organisedHeadBlock) serialiseTimestampsComp(pool compression.WriterPool) ([]byte, error) {
 	inBuf := serializeBytesBufferPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
 	defer func() {
 		inBuf.Reset()
@@ -247,7 +298,7 @@ type organizedBufferedIterator struct {
 
 func (e *organizedBufferedIterator) Next() bool {
 	var decompressedBytes, decompressedStructuredMetadataBytes int64
-	if !e.closed && e.reader == nil {
+	if !e.closed && e.reader == nil && !e.queryMetricsOnly {
 		var err error
 
 		// todo(shantanu): handle all errors
@@ -259,23 +310,11 @@ func (e *organizedBufferedIterator) Next() bool {
 	}
 
 	if !e.closed && e.tsReader == nil {
-		var err error
-
-		// todo(shantanu): handle all errors
-		e.tsReader, err = e.pool.GetReader(bytes.NewReader(e.tsBytes))
-		if err != nil {
-			e.err = err
-			return false
-		}
+		e.tsReader = bytes.NewReader(e.tsBytes)
 	}
 
 	if !e.closed && e.smReader == nil {
-		var err error
-		e.smReader, err = e.pool.GetReader(bytes.NewReader(e.smBytes))
-		if err != nil {
-			e.err = err
-			return false
-		}
+		e.smReader = bytes.NewReader(e.smBytes)
 	}
 
 	// todo (shantanu): need a better way to close the iterator instead of individually doing this.