diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/BlockHound.java b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/BlockHound.java
index 60be4eb..60d0d55 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/BlockHound.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/BlockHound.java
@@ -134,8 +134,6 @@ public TypePool typePool(ClassFileLocator classFileLocator, ClassLoader classLoa
     public static class Builder {
 
         private final Map<String, Map<String, Set<String>>> blockingMethods = new HashMap<String, Map<String, Set<String>>>() {{
-            int jdkMajorVersion = InstrumentationUtils.getJdkMajorVersion();
-
             put("java/lang/Object", new HashMap<String, Set<String>>() {{
                 put("wait", singleton("(J)V"));
             }});
@@ -196,7 +194,7 @@ public static class Builder {
                 put("writeBytes", singleton("([BIIZ)V"));
             }});
 
-            if (jdkMajorVersion >= 9) {
+            if (InstrumentationUtils.jdkMajorVersion >= 9) {
                 put("jdk/internal/misc/Unsafe", new HashMap<String, Set<String>>() {{
                     put("park", singleton("(ZJ)V"));
                 }});
@@ -213,7 +211,7 @@ public static class Builder {
                 }});
             }
 
-            if (jdkMajorVersion < 19) {
+            if (InstrumentationUtils.jdkMajorVersion < 19) {
                 // for jdk version < 19, the native method for Thread.sleep is "sleep"
                 put("java/lang/Thread", new HashMap<String, Set<String>>() {{
                     put("sleep", singleton("(J)V"));
@@ -221,7 +219,7 @@ public static class Builder {
                     put("onSpinWait", singleton("()V"));
                 }});
             }
-            else if (jdkMajorVersion >= 19 && jdkMajorVersion <= 21) {
+            else if (InstrumentationUtils.jdkMajorVersion >= 19 && InstrumentationUtils.jdkMajorVersion <= 21) {
                 // for jdk version in the range [19, 21], the native method for Thread.sleep is "sleep0"
                 put("java/lang/Thread", new HashMap<String, Set<String>>() {{
                     put("sleep0", singleton("(J)V"));
diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/InstrumentationUtils.java b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/InstrumentationUtils.java
index c88c2b4..0504d84 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/InstrumentationUtils.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/InstrumentationUtils.java
@@ -34,6 +34,20 @@
 
 class InstrumentationUtils {
 
+    /**
+     * Constant used to indicate the current JDK major version (8,9,..22,...)
+     */
+    static final int jdkMajorVersion;
+
+    static {
+        try {
+            jdkMajorVersion = getJdkMajorVersion();
+        }
+        catch (InvocationTargetException | IllegalAccessException e) {
+            throw new ExceptionInInitializerError(e);
+        }
+    }
+
     static void injectBootstrapClasses(Instrumentation instrumentation, String... classNames) throws IOException {
         File tempJarFile = File.createTempFile("BlockHound", ".jar");
         tempJarFile.deleteOnExit();
@@ -83,7 +97,7 @@ public void visit(int version, int access, String name, String signature, String
      *
      * @return the current jdk major version (8, 9, 10, ... 22)
      */
-    static int getJdkMajorVersion() {
+    private static int getJdkMajorVersion() throws InvocationTargetException, IllegalAccessException {
         Object version = getRuntimeVersion();
 
         if (version == null) {
@@ -98,7 +112,7 @@ static int getJdkMajorVersion() {
      *
      * @return the detected JDK version object or null if not available
      */
-    private static Object getRuntimeVersion() {
+    private static Object getRuntimeVersion() throws InvocationTargetException, IllegalAccessException {
         Runtime runtime = Runtime.getRuntime();
         try {
             Method versionMethod = runtime.getClass().getMethod("version");
@@ -109,11 +123,6 @@ private static Object getRuntimeVersion() {
             // Method Runtime.version() not found -> return null, meaning JDK 8
             return null; // JDK 8
         }
-
-        catch (IllegalAccessException | InvocationTargetException e) {
-            // if the Runtime.version() method exists, we should be able to invoke it, consider this is an error state
-            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not invoke Runtime.version() method", e);
-        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -122,7 +131,7 @@ private static Object getRuntimeVersion() {
      * @param version the JDK version object
      * @return the major version (9, 10, ...)
      */
-    private static int getRuntimeVersionFeature(Object version) {
+    private static int getRuntimeVersionFeature(Object version) throws InvocationTargetException, IllegalAccessException {
         try {
             Method featureMethod = version.getClass().getMethod("feature");
             Object feature = featureMethod.invoke(version);
@@ -133,11 +142,6 @@ private static int getRuntimeVersionFeature(Object version) {
             // Version.feature() method not found -> JDK 9 (because feature method is only available starting from JDK10 +)
             return 9;
         }
-
-        catch (IllegalAccessException | InvocationTargetException e) {
-            // if the Runtime.version().feature() method exists, we should be able to invoke it, consider this is an error state
-            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not invoke Runtime.version().feature() method", e);
-        }
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer.java b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer.java
index 7e72d40..f15d0ad 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/reactor/blockhound/NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer.java
@@ -36,13 +36,7 @@ class NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer implements ClassFileTransformer {
 
     private final Map<String, Map<String, Set<String>>> blockingMethods;
 
-    public static final boolean IS_JDK_18_OR_NEWER;
-
-    static {
-        String javaVersion = System.getProperty("java.specification.version");
-        double version = Double.parseDouble(javaVersion);
-        IS_JDK_18_OR_NEWER = version >= 18.0;
-    }
+    private static final int JDK_18 = 18;
 
     NativeWrappingClassFileTransformer(final Map<String, Map<String, Set<String>>> blockingMethods) {
         this.blockingMethods = blockingMethods;
@@ -116,7 +110,7 @@ public MethodVisitor visitMethod(int access, String name, String descriptor, Str
                 @Override
                 public AnnotationVisitor visitAnnotation(String descriptor, boolean visible) {
                     // See #392
-                    if (IS_JDK_18_OR_NEWER && descriptor.equals("Ljdk/internal/vm/annotation/IntrinsicCandidate;")) {
+                    if (InstrumentationUtils.jdkMajorVersion >= JDK_18 && descriptor.equals("Ljdk/internal/vm/annotation/IntrinsicCandidate;")) {
                         return null; // remove the intrinsic annotation
                     }
                     return super.visitAnnotation(descriptor, visible);