diff --git a/pkg/promtail/client/batch.go b/pkg/promtail/client/batch.go
index 16bb23ebbe925..16c5d684a36cd 100644
--- a/pkg/promtail/client/batch.go
+++ b/pkg/promtail/client/batch.go
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 package client
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/gogo/protobuf/proto"
 	"github.com/golang/snappy"
+	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/logproto"
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/promtail/api"
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ func (b *batch) add(entry api.Entry) {
 	b.bytes += len(entry.Line)
 
 	// Append the entry to an already existing stream (if any)
-	labels := entry.Labels.String()
+	labels := labelsMapToString(entry.Labels, ReservedLabelTenantID)
 	if stream, ok := b.streams[labels]; ok {
 		stream.Entries = append(stream.Entries, entry.Entry)
 		return
@@ -53,6 +57,22 @@ func (b *batch) add(entry api.Entry) {
 	}
 }
 
+func labelsMapToString(ls model.LabelSet, without ...model.LabelName) string {
+	lstrs := make([]string, 0, len(ls))
+Outer:
+	for l, v := range ls {
+		for _, w := range without {
+			if l == w {
+				continue Outer
+			}
+		}
+		lstrs = append(lstrs, fmt.Sprintf("%s=%q", l, v))
+	}
+
+	sort.Strings(lstrs)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("{%s}", strings.Join(lstrs, ", "))
+}
+
 // sizeBytes returns the current batch size in bytes
 func (b *batch) sizeBytes() int {
 	return b.bytes
diff --git a/pkg/promtail/client/client.go b/pkg/promtail/client/client.go
index 2dbe134f1d8c2..a57cf8251fddd 100644
--- a/pkg/promtail/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/promtail/client/client.go
@@ -405,7 +405,6 @@ func (c *client) processEntry(e api.Entry) (api.Entry, string) {
 		e.Labels = c.externalLabels.Merge(e.Labels)
 	}
 	tenantID := c.getTenantID(e.Labels)
-	delete(e.Labels, ReservedLabelTenantID)
 	return e, tenantID
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/promtail/client/multi_test.go b/pkg/promtail/client/multi_test.go
index 9d4e0a82d0a07..0b35c9ac74dff 100644
--- a/pkg/promtail/client/multi_test.go
+++ b/pkg/promtail/client/multi_test.go
@@ -6,10 +6,13 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util/flagext"
 	util_log "github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util/log"
+	"github.com/go-kit/kit/log"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/logproto"
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/promtail/api"
@@ -115,3 +118,22 @@ func TestMultiClient_Handle(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("missing handle call")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMultiClient_Handle_Race(t *testing.T) {
+	u := flagext.URLValue{}
+	require.NoError(t, u.Set("http://localhost"))
+	c1, err := New(nil, Config{URL: u, BackoffConfig: util.BackoffConfig{MaxRetries: 1}, Timeout: time.Microsecond}, log.NewNopLogger())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	c2, err := New(nil, Config{URL: u, BackoffConfig: util.BackoffConfig{MaxRetries: 1}, Timeout: time.Microsecond}, log.NewNopLogger())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	clients := []Client{c1, c2}
+	m := &MultiClient{
+		clients: clients,
+		entries: make(chan api.Entry),
+	}
+	m.start()
+
+	m.Chan() <- api.Entry{Labels: model.LabelSet{"foo": "bar", ReservedLabelTenantID: "1"}, Entry: logproto.Entry{Line: "foo"}}
+
+	m.Stop()
+}