diff --git a/src/aggregator/client/conn_options.go b/src/aggregator/client/conn_options.go
index 7a85b67581..71b5a89886 100644
--- a/src/aggregator/client/conn_options.go
+++ b/src/aggregator/client/conn_options.go
@@ -117,15 +117,15 @@ type ConnectionOptions interface {
 type connectionOptions struct {
 	clockOpts      clock.Options
 	instrumentOpts instrument.Options
+	writeRetryOpts retry.Options
+	rwOpts         xio.Options
 	connTimeout    time.Duration
-	connKeepAlive  bool
 	writeTimeout   time.Duration
+	maxDuration    time.Duration
 	initThreshold  int
 	maxThreshold   int
 	multiplier     int
-	maxDuration    time.Duration
-	writeRetryOpts retry.Options
-	rwOpts         xio.Options
+	connKeepAlive  bool
 }
 
 // NewConnectionOptions create a new set of connection options.
diff --git a/src/aggregator/client/payload.go b/src/aggregator/client/payload.go
index ffc2722450..a9c6b6f5a9 100644
--- a/src/aggregator/client/payload.go
+++ b/src/aggregator/client/payload.go
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ type timedPayload struct {
 }
 
 type timedWithStagedMetadatas struct {
-	metric    aggregated.Metric
 	metadatas metadata.StagedMetadatas
+	metric    aggregated.Metric
 }
 
 type passthroughPayload struct {
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ type passthroughPayload struct {
 }
 
 type payloadUnion struct {
-	payloadType              payloadType
-	untimed                  untimedPayload
 	forwarded                forwardedPayload
+	untimed                  untimedPayload
 	timed                    timedPayload
 	timedWithStagedMetadatas timedWithStagedMetadatas
 	passthrough              passthroughPayload
+	payloadType              payloadType
 }
diff --git a/src/aggregator/client/ref_count.go b/src/aggregator/client/ref_count.go
index fd3f5a588b..fa67c8bbea 100644
--- a/src/aggregator/client/ref_count.go
+++ b/src/aggregator/client/ref_count.go
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ import "sync/atomic"
 type destructorFn func()
 
 type refCount struct {
-	n            int32
 	destructorFn destructorFn
+	n            int32
 }
 
 func (rc *refCount) SetRefCount(n int)             { atomic.StoreInt32(&rc.n, int32(n)) }
diff --git a/src/aggregator/client/writer.go b/src/aggregator/client/writer.go
index 4db58ae8ea..dfc3c628a3 100644
--- a/src/aggregator/client/writer.go
+++ b/src/aggregator/client/writer.go
@@ -65,14 +65,14 @@ type writer struct {
 
 	log               *zap.Logger
 	metrics           writerMetrics
-	flushSize         int
-	maxTimerBatchSize int
 	encoderOpts       protobuf.UnaggregatedOptions
 	queue             instanceQueue
+	flushSize         int
+	maxTimerBatchSize int
 
-	closed             bool
 	encodersByShard    map[uint32]*lockedEncoder
 	newLockedEncoderFn newLockedEncoderFn
+	closed             bool
 }
 
 func newInstanceWriter(instance placement.Instance, opts Options) instanceWriter {
@@ -534,8 +534,8 @@ func newWriterMetrics(s tally.Scope) writerMetrics {
 }
 
 type lockedEncoder struct {
-	sync.Mutex
 	protobuf.UnaggregatedEncoder
+	sync.Mutex
 }
 
 func newLockedEncoder(encoderOpts protobuf.UnaggregatedOptions) *lockedEncoder {
@@ -544,8 +544,8 @@ func newLockedEncoder(encoderOpts protobuf.UnaggregatedOptions) *lockedEncoder {
 }
 
 type refCountedWriter struct {
-	refCount
 	instanceWriter
+	refCount
 }
 
 func newRefCountedWriter(instance placement.Instance, opts Options) *refCountedWriter {
diff --git a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/aggregated_encoder.go b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/aggregated_encoder.go
index c27c60226b..842e68664d 100644
--- a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/aggregated_encoder.go
+++ b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/aggregated_encoder.go
@@ -68,5 +68,9 @@ func (enc *aggregatedEncoder) Encode(
 }
 
 func (enc *aggregatedEncoder) Buffer() Buffer {
-	return NewBuffer(enc.buf, enc.pool)
+	var fn PoolReleaseFn
+	if enc.pool != nil {
+		fn = enc.pool.Put
+	}
+	return NewBuffer(enc.buf, fn)
 }
diff --git a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer.go b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer.go
index f6e08eb3fc..94b1f624a8 100644
--- a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer.go
+++ b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer.go
@@ -26,16 +26,18 @@ import (
 	"github.com/m3db/m3/src/x/pool"
 )
 
+// PoolReleaseFn is a function used to release underlying slice back to bytes pool.
+type PoolReleaseFn func([]byte)
+
 // Buffer contains a byte slice backed by an optional bytes pool.
 type Buffer struct {
-	buf    []byte
-	pool   pool.BytesPool
-	closed bool
+	buf       []byte
+	finalizer PoolReleaseFn
 }
 
 // NewBuffer create a new buffer.
-func NewBuffer(buf []byte, p pool.BytesPool) Buffer {
-	return Buffer{buf: buf, pool: p}
+func NewBuffer(buf []byte, p PoolReleaseFn) Buffer {
+	return Buffer{buf: buf, finalizer: p}
 }
 
 // Bytes returns the raw byte slice.
@@ -46,15 +48,11 @@ func (b *Buffer) Truncate(n int) { b.buf = b.buf[:n] }
 
 // Close closes the buffer.
 func (b *Buffer) Close() {
-	if b.closed {
-		return
-	}
-	b.closed = true
-	if b.pool != nil && b.buf != nil {
-		b.pool.Put(b.buf)
+	if b.finalizer != nil && b.buf != nil {
+		b.finalizer(b.buf)
 	}
-	b.pool = nil
 	b.buf = nil
+	b.finalizer = nil
 }
 
 type copyDataMode int
diff --git a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer_test.go b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer_test.go
index 628a6e604f..df6552ef20 100644
--- a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer_test.go
+++ b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/buffer_test.go
@@ -37,13 +37,11 @@ func TestBufferWithPool(t *testing.T) {
 	data := p.Get(16)[:16]
 	data[0] = 0xff
 
-	buf := NewBuffer(data, p)
-	require.Equal(t, data, buf.Bytes())
-	require.False(t, buf.closed)
+	buf := NewBuffer(data, p.Put)
+	require.NotNil(t, buf.buf)
 
 	buf.Close()
-	require.True(t, buf.closed)
-	require.Nil(t, buf.pool)
+	require.Nil(t, buf.finalizer)
 	require.Nil(t, buf.buf)
 
 	// Verify that closing the buffer returns the buffer to pool.
@@ -60,11 +58,10 @@ func TestBufferNilPool(t *testing.T) {
 	data := make([]byte, 16)
 	buf := NewBuffer(data, nil)
 	require.Equal(t, data, buf.Bytes())
-	require.False(t, buf.closed)
+	require.NotNil(t, buf.buf)
 
 	buf.Close()
-	require.True(t, buf.closed)
-	require.Nil(t, buf.pool)
+	require.Nil(t, buf.finalizer)
 	require.Nil(t, buf.buf)
 }
 
diff --git a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/unaggregated_encoder.go b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/unaggregated_encoder.go
index cee6855a4b..d470468360 100644
--- a/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/unaggregated_encoder.go
+++ b/src/metrics/encoding/protobuf/unaggregated_encoder.go
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func (enc *unaggregatedEncoder) Truncate(n int) error {
 }
 
 func (enc *unaggregatedEncoder) Relinquish() Buffer {
-	res := NewBuffer(enc.buf[:enc.used], enc.pool)
+	res := NewBuffer(enc.buf[:enc.used], enc.pool.Put)
 	enc.buf = nil
 	enc.used = 0
 	return res