diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
index 8e1dce66f41..7ed566bc4e2 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
@@ -63,18 +63,35 @@ class BuildPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
         PrecommitTasks.configure(project)
     }
 
+    /** Performs checks on the build environment and prints information about the build environment. */
     static void globalBuildInfo(Project project) {
         if (project.rootProject.ext.has('buildChecksDone') == false) {
-            String javaHome = System.getenv('JAVA_HOME')
+            String javaHome = findJavaHome()
+            File gradleJavaHome = Jvm.current().javaHome
+            String gradleJavaVersionDetails = "${System.getProperty('java.vendor')} ${System.getProperty('java.version')}" +
+                " [${System.getProperty('java.vm.name')} ${System.getProperty('java.vm.version')}]"
+
+            String javaVersionDetails = gradleJavaVersionDetails
+            String javaVersion = System.getProperty('java.version')
+            JavaVersion javaVersionEnum = JavaVersion.current()
+            if (new File(javaHome).canonicalPath != gradleJavaHome.canonicalPath) {
+                javaVersionDetails = findJavaVersionDetails(project, javaHome)
+                javaVersionEnum = JavaVersion.toVersion(findJavaSpecificationVersion(project, javaHome))
+                javaVersion = findJavaVersion(project, javaHome)
+            }
 
             // Build debugging info
             println '======================================='
             println 'Elasticsearch Build Hamster says Hello!'
             println '======================================='
-            println "  Gradle Version : ${project.gradle.gradleVersion}"
-            println "  JDK Version    : ${System.getProperty('java.runtime.version')} (${System.getProperty('java.vendor')})"
-            println "  JAVA_HOME      : ${javaHome == null ? 'not set' : javaHome}"
-            println "  OS Info        : ${System.getProperty('os.name')} ${System.getProperty('os.version')} (${System.getProperty('os.arch')})"
+            println "  Gradle Version        : ${project.gradle.gradleVersion}"
+            println "  OS Info               : ${System.getProperty('os.name')} ${System.getProperty('os.version')} (${System.getProperty('os.arch')})"
+            if (gradleJavaVersionDetails != javaVersionDetails) {
+                println "  JDK Version (gradle)  : ${gradleJavaVersionDetails}"
+                println "  JDK Version (compile) : ${javaVersionDetails}"
+            } else {
+                println "  JDK Version           : ${gradleJavaVersionDetails}"
+            }
 
             // enforce gradle version
             GradleVersion minGradle = GradleVersion.version('2.8')
@@ -83,31 +100,71 @@ class BuildPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
             }
 
             // enforce Java version
-            if (JavaVersion.current() < minimumJava) {
+            if (javaVersionEnum < minimumJava) {
                 throw new GradleException("Java ${minimumJava} or above is required to build Elasticsearch")
             }
 
-            // find java home so eg tests can use it to set java to run with
-            if (javaHome == null) {
-                if (System.getProperty("idea.active") != null) {
-                    // intellij doesn't set JAVA_HOME, so we use the jdk gradle was run with
-                    javaHome = Jvm.current().javaHome
-                } else {
-                    throw new GradleException('JAVA_HOME must be set to build Elasticsearch')
-                }
-            }
             project.rootProject.ext.javaHome = javaHome
+            project.rootProject.ext.javaVersion = javaVersion
             project.rootProject.ext.buildChecksDone = true
         }
         project.targetCompatibility = minimumJava
         project.sourceCompatibility = minimumJava
         // set java home for each project, so they dont have to find it in the root project
         project.ext.javaHome = project.rootProject.ext.javaHome
+        project.ext.javaVersion = project.rootProject.ext.javaVersion
     }
 
-    /** Return the name
-     */
-    static String transitiveDepConfigName(String groupId, String artifactId, String version) {
+    /** Finds and enforces JAVA_HOME is set */
+    private static String findJavaHome() {
+        String javaHome = System.getenv('JAVA_HOME')
+        if (javaHome == null) {
+            if (System.getProperty("idea.active") != null) {
+                // intellij doesn't set JAVA_HOME, so we use the jdk gradle was run with
+                javaHome = Jvm.current().javaHome
+            } else {
+                throw new GradleException('JAVA_HOME must be set to build Elasticsearch')
+            }
+        }
+        return javaHome
+    }
+
+    /** Finds printable java version of the given JAVA_HOME */
+    private static String findJavaVersionDetails(Project project, String javaHome) {
+        String versionInfoScript = 'print(' +
+            'java.lang.System.getProperty("java.vendor") + " " + java.lang.System.getProperty("java.version") + ' +
+            '" [" + java.lang.System.getProperty("java.vm.name") + " " + java.lang.System.getProperty("java.vm.version") + "]");'
+        return runJavascript(project, javaHome, versionInfoScript).trim()
+    }
+
+    /** Finds the parsable java specification version */
+    private static String findJavaSpecificationVersion(Project project, String javaHome) {
+        String versionScript = 'print(java.lang.System.getProperty("java.specification.version"));'
+        return runJavascript(project, javaHome, versionScript)
+    }
+
+    /** Finds the parsable java specification version */
+    private static String findJavaVersion(Project project, String javaHome) {
+        String versionScript = 'print(java.lang.System.getProperty("java.version"));'
+        return runJavascript(project, javaHome, versionScript)
+    }
+
+    /** Runs the given javascript using jjs from the jdk, and returns the output */
+    private static String runJavascript(Project project, String javaHome, String script) {
+        File tmpScript = File.createTempFile('es-gradle-tmp', '.js');
+        tmpScript.setText(script, 'UTF-8')
+        ByteArrayOutputStream output = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+        project.exec {
+            executable = new File(javaHome, 'bin/jjs')
+            args tmpScript.toString()
+            standardOutput = output
+            errorOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+        }
+        return output.toString('UTF-8').trim()
+    }
+
+    /** Return the configuration name used for finding transitive deps of the given dependency. */
+    private static String transitiveDepConfigName(String groupId, String artifactId, String version) {
         return "_transitive_${groupId}:${artifactId}:${version}"
     }
 
@@ -224,7 +281,9 @@ class BuildPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
         project.afterEvaluate {
             // fail on all javac warnings
             project.tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
-                options.compilerArgs << '-Werror' << '-Xlint:all' << '-Xdoclint:all/private' << '-Xdoclint:-missing'
+                options.fork = true
+                options.forkOptions.executable = new File(project.javaHome, 'bin/javac')
+                options.compilerArgs << '-Werror' << '-Xlint:all' << '-Xdoclint:all' << '-Xdoclint:-missing'
                 options.encoding = 'UTF-8'
             }
         }
@@ -239,7 +298,8 @@ class BuildPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
                 jarTask.manifest.attributes(
                         'X-Compile-Elasticsearch-Version': VersionProperties.elasticsearch,
                         'X-Compile-Lucene-Version': VersionProperties.lucene,
-                        'Build-Date': ZonedDateTime.now(ZoneOffset.UTC))
+                        'Build-Date': ZonedDateTime.now(ZoneOffset.UTC),
+                        'Build-Java-Version': project.javaVersion)
             }
         }
     }