diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 39081a16..d1dbf9c1 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def main():
 
     if not clang:
         try:
-            gcc_version_check = subprocess.check_output( ["gcc", "--version"], universal_newlines=True)
+            gcc_version_check = subprocess.check_output( [os.environ.get('CC', 'gcc'), "--version"], universal_newlines=True)
             if gcc_version_check.find("clang") != -1:
                 clang = True
             else: