diff --git a/debian/bin/gencontrol.py b/debian/bin/gencontrol.py
index 6d20829cb..3dbb0c102 100755
--- a/debian/bin/gencontrol.py
+++ b/debian/bin/gencontrol.py
@@ -291,6 +291,7 @@ class Gencontrol(Base):
 
     flavour_makeflags_base = (
         ('compiler', 'COMPILER', False),
+        ('compiler-filename', 'COMPILER', True),
         ('kernel-arch', 'KERNEL_ARCH', False),
         ('cflags', 'CFLAGS_KERNEL', True),
         ('override-host-type', 'OVERRIDE_HOST_TYPE', True),
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 7ad750fe5..05a0a274f 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ linux (4.16-1~exp2) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   * aufs: gen-patch: Fix Subject generation to skip SPDX-License-Identifier
   * aufs: Update support patchset to aufs4.16-20180409 (no functional change)
   * wireless: Add Debian wireless-regdb certificates (see #892229)
+  * Add support for compilers installed outside the default PATH
 
   [ Vagrant Cascadian ]
   * [arm64] Add patches to support SATA on Tegra210/Jetson-TX1.
diff --git a/debian/rules.real b/debian/rules.real
index 534501de5..598e4c549 100644
--- a/debian/rules.real
+++ b/debian/rules.real
@@ -166,7 +166,18 @@ $(STAMPS_DIR)/setup_$(ARCH)_$(FEATURESET)_$(FLAVOUR): $(STAMPS_DIR)/source_$(FEA
 	echo 'override ARCH = $(KERNEL_ARCH)' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'
 	echo 'override KERNELRELEASE = $(ABINAME)$(LOCALVERSION_IMAGE)' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'
 	echo 'CCACHE = ccache' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'
+ifeq (./,$(dir $(COMPILER)))
 	echo 'CC = $$(if $$(DEBIAN_KERNEL_USE_CCACHE),$$(CCACHE)) $$(CROSS_COMPILE)$(COMPILER)' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'
+else
+# To allow for cross-compiles, we want to split up the configured
+# compiler filename and prepend the directory to $PATH.  For a native
+# compile, so long as the configured compiler is installed it should
+# always be found first.
+# However, $PATH changes don't work consistently in make (bug #895835).
+# Instead we do the path lookup here and generate a new absolute
+# filename.
+	echo 'CC = $$(if $$(DEBIAN_KERNEL_USE_CCACHE),$$(CCACHE)) $$(word 1,$$(foreach dir,$(dir $(COMPILER)) $$(subst :, ,$$(PATH)),$$(wildcard $$(dir)/$$(CROSS_COMPILE)$(notdir $(COMPILER)))))' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'
+endif
 # TODO: Should we set CROSS_COMPILE always?
 ifdef OVERRIDE_HOST_TYPE
 	echo 'override CROSS_COMPILE = $(OVERRIDE_HOST_TYPE)-' >> '$(DIR)/.kernelvariables'